Deadbeat Mother

Loving Husband III

TRIGGER WARNING: ABUSE, SA, VIOLENCE -PLEASE READ CAREFULLY (JUST THE BEGINNING)

My eyes shoot open as searing pain hits me. I gasp and realize I can’t breathe easily. My throat is being squeezed tightly, and I claw at Steven’s hand. Steven’s strokes are harsh, rough, and painful. He likes to wear this sleeve with spikes on the outside to maximize the pain while he’s inside of me.

My airway is almost closed, and I try to suck in the little bit of air that I can reach. Steven is moaning in my ear, his tongue following the grooves. “Mmmmmm, baby. You feel so f**king good.” I squeeze my eyes closed as tightly as I can, praying that this will be over soon. Sometimes this doesn’t last long, but other times, Steven takes a pill that allows him to go for hours.

Someone must be smiling down on me right now. Steven gives a few more rough strokes and quickly pulls out. He kneels in front of me and lets loose all over my face. Steven moans my name as he empties himself all over me, and I just want to throw up. This is my life; this is what I get along with my ‘amazing’ career. If I could, I would give the fame away and go back to the life I had before.

I don’t open my eyes because my face isn’t clear. Steven isn’t going to clean me up; he never does. I hear rustling around me, along with footsteps. I hear the door open and close, and I let out a shaky breath. I let the darkness take over, hoping that I don’t wake up again this time.

~Evan~

“Evan Marx, you sexy thing.” I turn left and right, but I don’t see anyone. “Behind you, goofball.” I turn, and a smile breaks out on my face. I swear it’s been forever since I’ve set eyes on her, and I’ve missed the hell out of her. She runs to me and jumps in my arms. I spin her around and place her back on her feet, squeezing her as much as I can.

“F**king Natalia! Damn, I missed your ass. How was it overseas?” She kisses me on the cheek and pushes back from me.

“Overseas was great as always. You should go with me next time.” I laugh and shake my head. “How’s my gorgeous godson?” I turn back to the school. Cooper should be out in about 10 minutes. I make it a point to take him to school and pick him up every day. I try to give him the love of two parents.

“He’s great as always. He’ll be so happy to see you.” Natalia wraps her arm around mine and leans her head on my arm. I’m 6’2, and Natalia is 5’5. We’ve known each other since elementary school, and I couldn’t imagine not having her by my side. Besides Cooper, she has been the light in the storm for me. If it weren’t for her, I might not have made it through my mess. I still have my bad days, but they aren’t as often as before.

“Auntie Tally!” Cooper comes barrelling toward us. Natalia drops to a knee and holds her arm open to receive him. Cooper wraps his arms around her neck, and she lifts him up. “I’ve missed you! Where were you?”

“I was out of the country for work, but I missed you so very much. I may have a few things for you.” Cooper pushes back and looks into Natalia’s eyes.

“You got me something?” Natalia laughs and kisses Cooper on the cheek.

“Don’t I always?” I clear my throat, feeling a bit jealous and alone.

“Uh, did you forget about me? Hi son.” Cooper giggles.

“Hi, dad, I missed you too.” We turn and walk to the car. I click the button to unlock it, and Cooper runs to get in.

“I need to talk to you.” I turn to Natalia, and she looks really nervous.

“What’s up? Are you coming by?” Natalia shakes her head and steps back.

“I have to do a few things, but I will be by later. I just want to warn you that….well……she’s coming to town.” I swear my heart stops, and I can feel sweat starting to form. She can’t be serious; this can’t be real.

“Who? Who’s coming to town?” Natalie signs and turns away from me. I’m starting to feel a bit dizzy. I step back and stumble a bit. I reach out and anchor myself on the hood of the car.

“She’s coming back, Evan. She’s coming here for a job. I just want you to be ready. You may not even see her or hear from her, but she’ll be here.” I can’t do this right now. I can’t cope with this.

“I….I have to go.” I don’t wait for a response nor respond to Natalia calling my name. I get in the car and drive off, pretending I didn’t just hear what I heard.

~Natalia~

The car gets smaller and smaller. I knew telling him this would be rough, but I didn’t think he’d take it this badly. I know he still loves her; he’ll probably always love her. That’s one thing about Evan that I can’t deal with; his eternal love for her.

Most people would have let her go as soon as she did what she did. I mean, she walked out on him and their child without looking back. Evan, though, won’t let her go. He pined for her when she left. He grieved and grieved. I had to help him a lot with Cooper because he couldn’t deal some days. He was like a robot, going through the motions. He would put Cooper down at night, and he would break down. Those were the nights when he needed me the most. The only issue with being there for him was that my love for him grew leaps and bounds.

I’ve been friends with them most of my life, and I’ve been in love with Evan for a really long time. I figured that once he got over her, I would be able to make my way into his heart. It shouldn’t be hard because we’ve known each other for so long, but it hasn’t happened. He doesn’t look at anyone romantically. He doesn’t say it, but I think he expects her to come walking back into his life. That will never happen, but Evan doesn’t see that.

I walk back to my car and slide into the driver’s seat. I place my head on the steering wheel and just breathe. She’s returning to town, and there’s no getting around it. The past few years have been great without her, and I’ve put in so much work trying to get Evan on my side. This may ruin everything, and I can’t have that. I have to figure out how to keep them away from each other. It’s my turn now, and I won’t let anyone mess that up.