PART OF HER WORLD

CHAPTER 12

Sophia sat there stunned. The tears of heartache and anger ran down her face as she listened to the police car pull out of her drive as they took Jason away.

"Sophia, I'm sorry," Asher said as his hand touched her arm gently.

"Don't touch me," she said in a sob, and his hand slowly slipped off of her arm.

"I didn't mean for this to happen, I wanted to tell you but-"

"Why  ... why would you lie to me," she demanded, cutting him off, her voice was rising in timber.

"I wanted to tell you, I was going to tell you."

"When ... Asher ... oh god that's not even your name," she yelled.

"Look, it's not like I'm the only one not telling the truth here," he came back defensively, and she knew he was right.

"I never lied to you, my name is Elizabeth Sophia Williams. I've never gone by Elizabeth,” she stated.

Standing up she tried to walk past where he sat on the couch and he grabbed her. She stiffened; it was now second nature for her to be afraid of men, especially angry ones.

"Why didn't you tell me you were married and to a cop that liked to beat you?" he snapped.

"It wasn't a topic I thought you'd be comfortable hearing about," she stammered.

"Sophia, he beat you half to death and just got out yesterday ... oh god, he was here last night," his voice faltered as if he was putting two and two together.

"Why didn't you tell me you were an ex-con, why didn't you tell me you were involved in that robbery," she demanded.

 More tears rolled down her cheeks at the thought of Jason's visit last night. She knew if Bentley had not shown up she would never be able to make him leave without a fight.

It was one of the most traumatic times of her life and to find out from someone else that Asher had played a big part in it was more than just hurtful. That event had sent Jason spiraling out of control and led to him nearly killing her. She didn't know if things would have been different if Derrick hadn't died if Jason would have let her leave or not, but she knew that Derrick's death had been the catalyst to her blindness.

"Because if I had of you wouldn't have had anything to do with me," he yelled.

"You obviously don't know me at all then ... you should leave," she said, outraged that he thought her so callous she would base a person off of things that had happened in their past.

"Sophia please ... " his voice trembled but he released her. ”I'm sorry Sophia, this isn't how I wanted you to find out about me,” He brushed by her, and the front door opened and closed. It was soon followed by the car starting and slowly driving away.

Breaking down, she collapsed back down onto the couch and cried. She had thought that things in her life were finally turning around, that she had met a great guy, her knight in shining armor. She didn't know if she would ever be able to truly trust anyone, not after this. Locking the doors and setting the alarm system before she headed upstairs. Sophia felt like a fool for having been so naive to fall in love with someone she only knew for a few weeks. As she took a shower, she decided she would need to take a sleeping pill, knowing full well she would be too upset to sleep.

Pulling her satin nightgown on and brushing her teeth after she blew dried her hair, Sophia then went back downstairs. Finding her prescriptions on the counter by the sink, she opened her bottle of sleeping pills and took one with a drink of water. Tonight she wanted to sleep without dreams or nightmares. Bentley had been right, Asher had hurt her.

Tomorrow she would go to church with Margret and Todd and they would ask her a million and one questions. Those thoughts had her upset again as she wished none of this was happening to her. Sophia decided to call them and tell them she was not going, that she had something she needed to do. It wasn't a lie per se more of a misleading truth. She did need to call her lawyer again.

* * *~~~* * *

Asher sat at the small kitchen table his second beer already gone as he cracked open another one. He had f****d up; Sophia was pissed at him and most likely would never talk to him again. Taking a long drink, he downed half the beer and Crystal sat across from him looking more than a little concerned.

"So are you going to tell me what happened?"

"Nope," he said.

"Why not."

"Cause it doesn't matter." he snapped at her and her eyes narrowed.

"Don't you dare give me attitude. You come home in a mess with a black eye and fat lip looking like you were in the middle of a barroom brawl, and I'm not supposed to worry?." she said and took his beer away from him.

"Crystal, this isn't the time for you to play mom alright." he raised his voice and the hurt look flooded his sister's eyes.

"Oh god, Crystal. Look, I'm sorry,” he told her as he ran his finger through his hair. Tonight was not his night to talk with females, he thought to himself, as he had just managed to piss his sister off as well.

She stood and passed him back his beer before storming off to her room. Now he felt like a complete jackass and he headed for his small room. Tonight he lost the one person he knew would have made him happy for the rest of his life and as he sat on the edge of his bed, tears lined his eyes. There was no way in hell he would find someone who made him feel the way Sophia did. She had not actually lied to him. She just hadn't told him she was married to an abusive cop who was in jail for trying to murder her.

The thought of her being beaten turned his blood to ice and as he lay there staring up at the fly dancing around his ceiling light, he began to worry about her. He hoped she would go to Margret and Todd's for the night, so she wouldn't be alone. The thought crossed his mind to take a drive-by and check on her, but he quickly changed his mind, knowing she would be even madder if he showed up this soon after she learned he had lied to her.

Asher didn't bother to turn the light out or take his clothes off. He just rolled onto his stomach wincing as parts of his body were scraped up and bruised badly. The cop was no slouch and had been able to give him many good shots before Asher was able to grapple him down to the ground. His jaws clenched as his face stung, and he imagined how horrible Sophia's life must have been with Jason. Asher laid there letting his thoughts torture him until sleep finally took him away in the wee hours of the morning. His nightmares crowded in on each other, swarming his mind, refusing to let him sleep soundly or restfully.