Half Of Rhea

The Attack

Rhea stumbled backwards, her heart in her throat as she looked at the father of her son advancing towards her. She turned to run but it was too late, he pushed her back and she fell forward hitting the fireplace. Her head hurt as she realised she had hit something on the way down. She rolled onto her back and looked at Zane, fear was all she could feel as her breathing shortened.

“Please…. You don’t understand!.... Nothing happened… Please Zane.” She begged even though she knew her attempts were futile. He pounced on her, pressing his body’s weight down upon her. He was heavy and her chest felt constricted, as she struggled to push him off her and breathe. He grabbed her face and brought his lips to hers. He kissed her hard and it hurt her lips and the back of her head as it was pushed into the concrete tiles surrounding the fireplace. Zane didn’t care he just wanted to claim her, the despair was evident.

“You will love me!” He exclaimed, anger and frustration broke through his voice, as it cracked out of desperation. She tried to turn her head so he couldn’t force his lips onto hers anymore. She tried begging again, “Please Zane, just get off and let me explain!”

“Did he kiss you like this?! Ay? Did you like it?!” He screamed in Rhea’s face as hopelessness enveloped her. There was no escaping this…. She thought hard, as her mind was racing. Fight Rhea…. Fight we can’t sit here and take it. Her inner voice was convincing her and she knew she couldn’t just lie there and take it, like last time.

Her hands came up and she scratched at his face, he grabbed at her wrists as she twisted her body and pushed up of the floor using her hands and with all the strength she had in her thighs. She lifted herself off the floor and was able to lift him too, she threw him backwards using the momentum she had created. In terms of physical ability, his outstripped hers ten-fold. She had to be smart about this situation and try and calm him down.

“Zane Stop! You need to stop and listen!” she tried reasoning with him.

“How could you do this to me Rhea! I LOVE YOU! And you love me too!... I know you do!”

He came charging at her again and she dodged him, side stepping him at the last minute and angling her upper body so he brushed past her. He stumbled and looked at her confused and even angrier.

“Did you f**k him!? Was he better than me?.... Is that why you’ve been trying so hard lately?!”

“No Zane that’s not it!” they were yelling backwards and forwards, but nothing Rhea said, seemed to appease Zane or get him to think rationally. Tears were coming down his face as he lunged towards her, trying to grasp her arms or her legs. She was ducking behind furniture and tables, trying desperately to get him to talk and stop grabbing at her.

“Just stop and think Zane.” She pleaded with him.

His tears stopped and he stopped moving, looking at her with anger and hatred.

“You wanted me to treat you right and I’ve been trying….. But all you are is a slut.”

He picked up the table that was standing between her and him. He was not playing anymore and had lost all his ability to reason and converse. He threw the table at her and it hit the front of her lower legs. She fell down, the pain resonating through both shins. She knew she couldn’t walk after that, her tibias throbbing and lying on the ground, she flipped around trying to protect herself with her hands, against his advancements.

He grabbed her ankles and dragged her towards the bedroom. A fear she had never felt before started creeping up into her heart.

No no no no no…… he dragged her mercilessly along the hallway and threw her in the direction of her room. She half rolled along the ground and ended up at the end of her bed, on the floor, looking up at him, she pulled herself up onto her arms and tried to wriggle backwards. She held her hands up begging him one more time.

“Please Zane… Please don’t do this!” her voice broke as she trembled and begged him. Knowing what his intentions were. He hadn’t been in her room in months, he was no longer welcome in there and he knew it. The intimacy in their relationship hadn’t been explored in so long. That’s why she knew the location itself, gave away his objective.

“What are you going to do?” She asked through her tears, misery and anguish.

“I’m going to show you, why you belong to me.” He stated resolutely.

So much fear and disgust came out of her that she started dry-retching. Her lack of water and exercise had taken its toll on her digestive system, it no longer wanted to cooperate with her.

He walked up to Rhea, grabbing her by her hair and dragged her up onto the bed. There was nothing soft, only ruthless movements and actions. She had closed her eyes, utter despair was all she could feel. He pulled her around like she weighed nothing, even though she wasn’t a small lass. She tried in vain to grab at her own hair, to release some of the tension and hold up her own weight, so there was relief on her scalp. It felt as if her hair was going to be ripped off her head.

He had released her and pulled at her tights and top. Her active wear was made of clingy material and although the pants were easily disposed of, her upper body was hard to undress. Zane yanked and pulled at her clothes her upper half completely bare after he had ripped the sports bra and tight singlet off her. She lay there only in her bottom underwear, completely exposed and terrified.

“Please don’t do this Zane.” She pleaded, hoping to change his mind. “We can talk about all of this, you don’t need to do this to me, I’m the mama of your baby, please….” her voice was shaking because she knew, she could not change his mind. Her options were limited at this point. Her ability to fight or run had been diminished. With these current injuries she wouldn’t get anywhere fast.

“You won’t ever be able to think of anyone else but me.” He said resolute, his expression never wavering. “You will remember that you love me and no one else can ever make you feel the way that I do.”

He pulled at the remaining piece of clothing that kept her safe from him. Her underwear was ripped brutally from her bottom half and she whimpered in response, as her legs throbbed after the earlier assault from the table.

It was now or never, she screamed and yelled, clawed at his face as his knee forced her legs open. She tried desperately to clamp them shut, but his strength overpowered hers. She begged, tried to bite and fought like her life depended on it.

“YOU ARE MINE!” he roared. He was furious and pulled his pants down. Rhea just couldn’t fathom how the hell he could be aroused at a time like this. At a time where she was scared and fighting for her life, he was turned on?! How can that even happen? She was fraught with fear. This was not what she wanted and she thought if nothing else she would repeat no, over and over again so he could never try and convince her, that she wanted any part of this.

“NO ZANE NO!”

“Yes… you know you want it, you wanna be a little slut then I’ll treat you like a little slut.”

He lay down on top of her, his knee keeping her legs open and forced his way in. She winced in pain, as he exhaled in her ear.

“You like that don’t you Rhea.” He smirked and pushed himself into her further.

“I f*****g hate you! I will never forgive you for this... You f*****g disgust me!” She spat in his face and tried to bite him, as he ignored her and continued pushing in and out of her. One hand held her wrists above her head and the other held her face so she couldn’t bite or spit at him. He kept her face turned away from his as his lips sat just below her left ear. She looked at the wall on her right side and cried unable to move, unable to fight. Only listening to his heavy breathing in her ear.

“No, no, no, no.” She repeated the same word, over and over again, as Zane took her resilience and resolve. Tears streamed down her face and she sobbed, as he impaled her relentlessly.

“Hmmmm that feels good, doesn’t it Rhea…” He continued his assault as she lay hoping this would be over soon. “Slade will never want to touch you, after I’m done with you.” He continued taunting her.

Her tears streamed endlessly as she lay there wishing it would just hurry up and end. He grunted and thrust into her one last time. He lay still, on top of her, unmoving. He pushed himself up onto his hands and leaned down onto the side of her face and kissed her ear.

“Now see, that’s all you had to do.” He smiled and pulled out of her. The pain felt horrible as her private parts throbbed from the brutal invasion. She felt complete nothingness…. Empty as a shell. She quickly rolled onto her side trying hard to hide her face from him, trying desperately to create as much distance between them as was physically possible.

She wasn’t even sure how she could cry anymore, surely she had run out of tears by now? But her lacrimal glands just kept producing more salty liquid. The hurt and pain was almost too much for her to bare. How could she look any person in the face, how could she explain this to anyone? How could she ever let herself be vulnerable again to another human being? Zane rolled over and draped his arm over her, pulling her closer to him, he rested his head next to the back of hers. He nuzzled into the back of Rhea’s hair taking in a deep breath.

“I know you just needed to see, how much I loved you.” His hands started stroking her back and waist, while she remained a statue lying on her side, with her back to him, just hoping this nightmare would be over.

“It had been too long since we were together… this is all we needed to make each other feel better.”

She couldn’t even reply, the disgust would have been evident in her voice, her body trembled and she had the worst migraine. She just wanted to close her eyes and go to sleep and never wake up.

Zane stood up from the bed and got changed, placing a towel next to her. “A nice hot shower will make you feel better.” He patted the towel and left the bedroom without another glance backwards.

Rhea’s body shook as she tried to sit up. The tears never stopped, as she tried to stand, to make her way to the shower. The sticky ejaculation stuck to her thighs and she wondered, what to do now? She had no phone and what would she say to her neighbours or anyone else she sought out for help? Immense shame filled her and all she wanted was to get her son, lock her bedroom door and hide from everyone.

She half stumbled and half dragged herself to the bathroom. She lay on the floor knowing there was a decision to make. Get help and police and don’t wash away any forensic evidence or have a shower and try to hide it. Who would believe her? Zane came from a wealthy, well respected white family. She was a half-caste brown girl, who would have to prove, not only that he assaulted her, but that she didn’t want it. She knew how these things went down in court. She would be pulled apart on the stand, she would have to justify her clothes, her decisions and the way she acted. She would have to prove that her tears and no’s were enough to let him know, without doubt, that she did not want to have s*x with him. The fact that they lived together and had a son together would complicate the jury’s feelings and she knew how manipulative and believable Zane could be, especially after the encounter with Jude and Russell. Doubt and confusion swamped her.

Rhea turned on the shower, her tears never stopping. There were drops of blood on the floor, mixed with tears and drag marks. She let the shower heat up before she limped in and sat on the floor of the shower cube. Her legs weren’t strong enough to hold her up anymore. She sat and cried and let all the water wash away the traces of her brutal assault.

Rhea had no idea what to do anymore, everything she tried to do to empower herself, ended up with her in a much worse predicament. She no longer trusted her own judgement or anyone else for that matter. No one except her son and maybe Sage. She had been sitting on the floor of the shower for about 40 minutes. Her skin was wrinkly, her legs aching, she needed to get out.

She tried to stand, gripping the side of the shower door she managed to stand up straight. She limped out of the shower and grabbed her favourite fluffy towel. After wrapping it around herself she made her way back to her bedroom.

The thought of even having to clean all the mess overwhelmed her. She pulled a hoodie and track pants over her dripping limbs, ignoring the wetness. She ripped the linen from her bed and went out to put it in the rubbish. Zane was sitting outside smoking a cigarette and his presence took her by surprise. She thought he had left like he always did. She glared at him as he looked back at her.

“How are you feeling?” he asked quietly. “I bet that shower helped.”

Tears welled in her eyes and she looked through her lashes at him. “You are a rapist.” She said it quietly enough so that no one could hear but the two of them. Even if the neighbours were in their backyard they wouldn’t have been able to hear the conversation. He smiled back at Rhea, “What the f**k are you talking about?” he threw his hands in the air, looking around for witnesses.

She turned around and walked back inside, not sure of what to do. If she wasn’t there to pick Laken up from kindy, then usually Mrs O’shea would bring him back for her. So she just crawled onto her bed and left her door open waiting for her son to get back. There was no point looking for her phone, there was no point trying to get to the kindy, not in her current state. There wasn’t even any point in putting clean sheets on her bed, she just grabbed her duvet and dragged it over top of her, succumbing to the pain, the migraine and the despair.