by J. L. Perry
While I was staring Jake down, his whole face changed. It was like something inside him snapped. He grabbed me around the throat and started to squeeze. Hard!
Fuck, what the hell?
Jake had never been violent towards me, but I could tell by the sheer pressure he was putting on my neck that he trying to do me harm. I tried to say something, but nothing would come out. I also tried to take a breath, but I couldn’t.
“You are not going anywhere, you fucking bitch,” he said through gritted teeth, tightening his grip. I grabbed his hands to try and pry them off, but he was just too strong.
I was starting to panic. My lungs were burning and my vision was blurring as I started losing consciousness. I could feel that the end was coming so I did the only thing I could think of…I brought my knee up and kneed him in the balls as hard as I could. He immediately let go of me and fell to the floor. I tried to take a deep breath to get some air back into my lungs, but I started coughing and spluttering instead.
Jake had fallen in front of the door so as much as I wanted to run from the house, I couldn’t. After grabbing the bags I’d brought home from the hospital, I ran up the stairs and into our bedroom, quickly locking the door behind me.
I threw myself on the bed and began to cry. What in the hell just happened? I still couldn’t believe it. Jake had never raised a hand to me. Actually, I had never seen him act violent towards anyone. It just wasn’t in his nature, or so I thought. A few minutes later, I heard a knock on the bedroom door. My heart dropped, and I started to panic again.
“Let me in, Brooke,” Jake said in a soft, calm voice. “I am so sorry, sweetheart. I don’t know what came over me. Please, baby, let me in.”
How could he be psychotic one minute and so calm the next?
“Go away, Jake!” I screamed in a raspy voice. I heard him punch the door with his fist before hearing footsteps walk down the hall.
Okay, psychotic Jake was back!
I lay on the bed, not knowing what to do. One thing was certain. I needed to get the hell out of this house and as far away from Jake as possible. First, I needed to clear my head and think because there was no way in hell I was going to open that door. There was no telling what he would do to me if I tried to walk out of the house now.
A few minutes later, I could hear him downstairs, yelling and smashing things. I got up from the bed and went into the en-suite bathroom to splash some cold water on my face. My hands were trembling and I felt physically sick inside.
After everything that had happened since last night, I was exhausted. All I wanted to do was curl up on the bed and go to sleep, but I couldn’t do that. Not when my life was on the line.
Instead, I grabbed a small suitcase out of the wardrobe in our bedroom and started to throw some clothes into it. I went back into the bathroom and grabbed my face cream, makeup bag, toothbrush, and any other toiletries I might need.
Once I was finished in the bathroom, I went back into the bedroom to grab my mobile phone charger off the bedside table. I reached up onto the top shelf of the wardrobe to grab the photo album my mum had made for me when she first got sick. There was no way I was leaving that behind.
The stretching gave me shooting pains in my abdomen, but I needed that album. It was my most treasured possession. In it were some photos of me growing up and, more importantly, photos of my mother. Once that was safely packed, I went to my jewellery box and grabbed the gold heart-shaped locket and chain my mum bought me for my eighteenth birthday. It was the last thing I got from her before she died. Inside was a small picture of the both of us together.
I took off my wedding and engagement rings, and put them on the dressing table. I no longer wanted them. I then lay down on the bed and tried to think of a plan.
When I opened my eyes again and looked at the clock on the bedside table, it was 4:00 a.m. Shit! I must have fallen asleep. In a panic, I quickly got out of bed and looked around the room. The bedroom door was still locked, so I was safe…for now. I put my ear up to the door and listened for any noise in the house. Silence.
My adrenaline was pumping as I walked into the bathroom to take a quick shower. As I glanced in the mirror, I wasn’t surprised to see that I looked like shit. There were black rings under my eyes and bruises were starting to form on my neck.
Once I was out of the shower, I dressed in a pair of jeans and a red singlet top. I put on my red ballet flats as I grabbed a red silk scarf out of my drawer. I needed it to try and hide the bruises on my neck.
I went back into the bathroom and quickly brushed my teeth, then put my hair up. I got my mobile phone, along with the letter and prescription from Dr. Goldstein, out of the bags I brought home from the hospital, shoving them in my pocket.
The time had come to make my escape. It was now or never. My hands shook as I picked up my suitcase and made my way to the door. My heart was beating out of my chest as I quietly unlocked it and looked into the hallway. I couldn’t see Jake anywhere so I tiptoed out of the room and made my way downstairs.
The damage Jake had done in his fit of rage was shocking. How could you live with someone for over five years and never notice the monster that lived within? Was I really that naïve? There were holes in the walls, furniture was turned over, and glass was smashed everywhere.
As I looked into the formal lounge, I could see Jake asleep on the floor. There was an empty bottle of scotch next to him.
Good. He’s passed out!
I grabbed my handbag and sunglasses off the hall table and quietly made my way to the front door. My hands were still trembling as I opened it and slowly walked down the front steps. When I was a few metres away for the house, I broke into a run and didn’t stop until I was a few blocks away. I pulled my mobile phone out of my pocket and called a taxi. Thankfully, I was safe…for now!
I was glad it was still dark outside, as I stood behind a tree to wait for the taxi to arrive. When I heard a car coming down the road and noticed the light on the roof, I stepped out from behind the tree and waved the cab down. Once he pulled over, I climbed inside and asked the driver to take me to the airport.
When I arrived at Melbourne airport, I quickly made my way over to the check-in counter. I asked the flight attendant for a ticket on the first flight out to Sydney. “That will be a one-way ticket,” I added. There was no way I was ever coming back here.
I had just over an hour to wait until my plane left, so I checked my suitcase in and made my way to the gate my flight was departing from. This would be my first time on a plane, but with everything going on in my mind, I didn’t feel anxious or excited. I actually felt quite numb!
As I was waiting to board the plane, I pulled out my mobile phone to check it. It was still on silent after the function the other night. I was hoping Jake was still passed out on the floor and unaware that I had left.
My heart started to race as I looked down at the screen. There were four missed calls and three new messages on the screen…all from Jake.
My hands were shaking uncontrollably as I opened the first message. I breathed a sigh of relief when I noticed it had been sent the night of his work function. The other two messages had been sent yesterday morning while I was still at the hospital. I deleted them because I wasn’t interested in what they said. I didn’t listen to the voicemail messages, either. It was a relief just to know that he was probably still passed out.
It appeared I was going to escape Melbourne with my life!
****
When my plane touched down in Sydney, I caught a taxi to the city and booked a hotel room. I needed a place to stay while I looked around for somewhere to live.
It was 10:00 a.m. when I left my room. I was feeling emotionally drained and tired, but I needed to get to the bank before Jake discovered I was missing.
I withdrew ten thousand dollars, which was only a fraction of what I was entitled to, out of our joint bank account. After I had taken out the money, there was still over thirty thousand dollars left in there. I d
eposited nine thousand dollars into my personal bank account and put the other thousand into my purse. That would be enough to get me by until I could find a job.
I grabbed a coffee and a muffin from the café down the road, and a newspaper from the newsstand before making my way back to the hotel. The last thing I wanted was food, but I knew I needed to eat.
When I got back to my hotel room, I forced myself to eat. It had been over thirty-six hours since I’d last eaten and I needed to keep up my strength. Once I finished, I opened the paper to the classified section and started scanning it for vacant positions. I also looked at all the places for rent in the area.
Logan
When I got home from the hospital, I took a shower and shaved, then asked my housekeeper, Jill, if she would fix me something to eat. Afterwards, I went up to my bedroom to lie down. It had been over twenty-four hours since I last slept. I started to think about everything that had happened the night before. Brooke was on my mind and I hoped she was okay.
****
The sun was shining through the windows in my bedroom when I woke. I rolled over and looked at the clock. 8:00 a.m. I quickly got out of bed and took a shower, then got dressed for work. When I got downstairs, Jill was in the kitchen making me breakfast.
“Good morning, Mr. Cavanagh,” she said. “Take a seat and I will bring you some coffee.”
Jill was in her early fifties and had been working for me for over ten years. Both Chris and Jill travel with me between both of my penthouses. I have one in Melbourne and the other in Sydney, and I divide my year between both. Neither one is married, nor do they have any children so they are free to travel with me wherever I go. I sat down at the table as Jill brought my breakfast and coffee over.
“Thanks, Jill.”
“You’re welcome, honey,” she replied. “Is there anything else I can get for you?”
“No, thanks,” I said with a smile. I quickly scanned the newspaper while I finished my breakfast, then I made my way to the private elevator in my penthouse suite. When I exited the lobby, Chris was waiting to take me to the office.
Once I arrived at the office, I was greeted by my secretary, Rose. “Good morning, Mr. Cavanagh,” she said. “Can I get you a cup of coffee?”
“No, thank you, Rose,” I replied. “I have a lot of work to get through this morning and I would appreciate it if I wasn’t disturbed.”
I sat at my desk and tried to go over some contracts I had drawn up for a recent case we had taken on, but my mind kept wandering back to Brooke, and I reread the same paragraph three times. I found myself wondering how she was doing. I got up from my desk and looked out my office window.
As I looked out over the city, I heard some commotion coming from the foyer. I heard Rose say, “You can’t go in there, Mr. Johnston. Mr. Cavanagh has asked not to be disturbed.” All of a sudden, my office door flew open.
“Where the fuck is my wife, Cavanagh?!” Jake screamed.
I quickly spun around to face him. “I don’t know what the fuck you are talking about!” I snapped.
He proceeded to throw my business card at me. “Bullshit, Cavanagh,” he said through gritted teeth. “My wife goes missing for twenty-four hours, then comes home to pack a bag and leave. When I searched through her stuff, I found your fucking business card. So tell me where the fuck she is!”
Fuck, I want to deck him. How dare he come into my office and start throwing accusations at me!
“I know you are hiding her, Cavanagh, so tell me where the fuck she is or so help me…” Before I had a chance to react, security came rushing in and tackled him to the ground.
“Get him out of here!” I snapped. “I want him escorted out of the building immediately.” I buzzed my secretary. “Clean out Mr. Johnston’s office.” As he was escorted out of my office, I said, “You’re fired, Mr. Johnston. If you step one foot inside this building again, I will have you arrested.”
As they were dragging Jake out, he yelled, “You tell that fucking bitch from me that when I get my hands on her, I am going to fucking kill her! You will pay for this Cavanagh. You both will!”
I slammed the door in his face because I had heard enough from the arsehole for one day. My adrenaline was pumping as I paced the room, and I wanted to hit something. I ran my fingers through my hair. What the fuck was that all about? I wondered. My body was trembling with rage as I started to worry about Brooke. At least she had the guts to leave him. I was thankful for that. Hopefully, she had the brains to get far enough away from him so he wouldn’t be able find her.
Twenty minutes later, Rose entered my office. I was still looking out the window and didn’t bother to turn around because I was still angry and I didn’t want her to see me like that.
“We have cleared out Mr. Johnston’s office, Mr. Cavanagh,” she said. “I think you will be interested in what we found.”
“Sit down, Rose,” I replied, “and tell me all about it.”
Rose sat. “When I was clearing out his drawers, I found this.” I turned around to face her and found her holding up a bag containing a white powdery substance.
“I think Mr. Johnston has been taking drugs,” she explained. I leaned over and took the bag she was holding. As I examined it, I asked her to go back to her desk and call the police.
“Escort the police into my office when they arrive, please,” I said. “Oh, and Rose? Send in Mr. Johnston’s secretary while we wait.”
My company was no longer in need of her services since Jake had just been fired. All my employees signed a contract when I employed them. There was a clause clearly stating “No fraternising amongst staff”, so I had grounds to terminate her employment. Frankly, I didn’t want people like her working for me anyway.
Of course, she wasn’t happy about being fired, but when I explained what I had witnessed the other night, she knew she couldn’t argue with me. She called me an “arsehole” as she walked out of my office, but that just made me chuckle. I felt like I had got some retribution for what they both put Brooke through.
When the police arrived, I explained the events that had occurred this morning and handed over the bag that Rose had found in Mr. Johnston’s desk.
“Leave it to us, Mr. Cavanagh,” the police officer said. “We will take it from here.”
I buzzed Rose and asked her to give the officers Mr. Johnston’s personal information, then I showed them out.
CHAPTER SIX
Brooke
Eight months have passed since I left Jake and fled to Sydney. My life was finally starting to get back to normal. Three days after arriving in Sydney, I had secured a small two bedroom terrace house to rent. It was just outside of the heart of the city.
My new place was very old, but had been renovated over the years so it was still pleasant enough to live in. The colours on the walls weren’t to my liking, so I repainted the whole interior white to give it fresh look. It made a huge difference and the landlord even took the price of the paint off my rent, which was nice. The bathroom had been renovated about ten years ago, but was still in reasonable condition. Thankfully, because I loved cooking, the kitchen was only a few years old.
I used some of the money I had in the bank to buy a bedroom suite, sofa, coffee table, dining room table, television, fridge, washing machine, and a second-hand piano. I set the piano up in the spare room so I could resume my private tutoring.
The sofa I bought was red and, with the black coffee table and television stand, it stood out well against the white walls. I even managed to pick up some great black-and-white prints in a yard sale, which I hung on the walls.
I secured a part-time job teaching dance during the day, which I loved. In the evenings, I found a job working at a restaurant just down the road from where I was living. With the two jobs and the money I got from my piano lessons, I even managed to save a little money each week, which would eventually go towards a small dance studio.
I finally felt like I was on my way to achieving my dreams and fulfill
ing the promise I had made to my mother. It was still a long way off, but I was on my way, nevertheless.
The first few days after arriving in Sydney were hard. I cried a lot! Jake and I had been a couple for nearly seven years and being without him took some adjustment. The threatening texts and the horrible messages Jake was leaving on my voicemail soon snapped me out of that, though. In my heart, I knew I had a made the right decision. After about a week, I’d had enough so I changed my mobile number and decided to put him out of my mind forever. I couldn’t believe how unstable he had become. One minute, his messages were sweet as he pleaded for me to come home; the next minute, he was psycho again.
I still got up early every morning to go for a run because I liked to stay in shape and running always cleared my mind. It made me feel better. My life was back on track and, for the first time in over a year, I felt really good inside.
After my morning run, I went into the local grocery store to pick up some essentials I needed. When I got home, I showered and did some laundry.
Later that morning, I caught a bus to the dance studio I was working at. Today, I had a few morning classes to teach. After that, I went home had lunch, and waited for one of my students to come over for his piano lesson.
Later that afternoon, I walked down to the restaurant to start my shift. My life was full on, but I liked to stay busy because it stopped me from thinking too much. It also stopped me from feeling lonely. I was used to my own company, but it sucked sometimes.
We were really busy that night at the restaurant so it was after 10:00 p.m. before I got back to my house. I showered and collapsed onto the bed.
I was exhausted!
About 1:00 a.m., I was woken up by a loud bang, followed by the sound of smashing glass. I got out of bed and turned on the light in my bedroom. I was still half asleep and a little disoriented. When I walked into the front room, I was shocked to see that my front window was smashed.