Let Me tell you a Story

I never would have thought I would have been responsible for his death. Yet here I stood in front of my husband Seven as he gasped for air. His big brown thick frame lay on the marble floor as he bled out and I just stood there as I watched. I watched 4 years of marriage disappear. 4 years of pain, of misery all, drain out of his body just like the blood that was now on our marbled floors. On top of it all I saw my abuser finally stop breathing. It was a surreal moment as the fireplace flickered and the calming rain felt soothing to my restless soul. I never thought such relief and fear would remain as I looked at his body fall before he took his last breath. I looked to my left only to see my reflection; a shattered woman. My nightgown was torn, my curly hair a mess, and if my blackened eye didn't scream abuse my busted, bleeding lip did. My once golden brown skin was now lifeless. Ironicaly Seven lay there dead after falling 7 steps, after striking me 7 times tonight after I said 7 words to him. 'I hate you, You're my biggest regret.' "Oh, my gawd." I said out loud looking at myself. Although he deserved this death I knew I would ultimately be to blame. His mother hated me and if his father had it his way I would have been dead the moment I agreed to this marriage and didn't produce him a grandson. Seven was just as cold. The complete opposite of the man I married. Instead of the promises of love and a fairytale ending I got my ass whooped every day and was told how disgusting I was. To be fair Seven wasn't always that way but always isn't forever and right now I knew the best thing for me to do was to figure out a way out of there. I made my way upstairs to our guise of a room. He hadn't actually slept in that room in over a year. Mostly it was where he held me captive. Where he r***d me or forced me to lay in bed for hours after s*x in the hope id get pregnant. It was the seventh day of his extreme measures and honestly, I don't know what happened. We were once so in love and then I don't know it just changed. The fight replayed in my head as I remembered watching him stumble. He reached for me but instead of being his savior, I pulled away. I didn't want to save him but I'd learn to regret it. I made my way to the safe in our Master's room filling all the money into my suitcase. Inside the safe was his passport and mine. They were our fake names. That didn't matter because without him I was planning on leaving and leaving everything connected with him behind well everything but the money. I sat the suitcase on the bed and grabbed a small bag putting my clothes in it and sat the two bags in our walk-in closet. Before I grabbed all the jewelry I figured I needed to shower and I could get ready to leave by grabbing the last few items. I couldn't help but stare at myself. As I did all I could think was that marrying him was the biggest mistake of my life. I lost all of my family, I had no friends and now I was a weakened version of myself. I no longer saw the confident ebony queen that I was raised to be. I saw a weak woman with no future and a broken past. "I stayed for what?" I ran my hand down my face. I thought it was for love. It was never about the money. I was comfortable with the bare minimum. He was the greedy asshole who even refused to let me go even when all I wanted was my life back. Instead, he told me I would see what would happen. He slept with my friends and showed me how easily people could be bought. Even how quickly my family would betray me for drugs, cars, money, or women. Just like everyone else to him I was expendable. The thing was once he was done with everyone else he would discard them but had yet to discard me. I'm sure the only way that would have happened would be in my death. Maybe I knew too much. I stood in our cold bathroom just looking at my reflection. I let out a deep breath as I stripped my clothes off my body leaving them on the floor before I turned the shower on hot. If I could instead wash away all the pain I would. I just sat in the shower crying before nearly an hour passed and I got out. I went into the room tossing my old clothes in the back of the closet but heard noises coming from downstairs. I quickly put on one of Seven's shirts as it went down to my knees. I crept downstairs only to see Seven's body swarmed by all his men. His father was among them, as he approached me walking up the stairs in a rush. He was an older version of Seven in all senses of the word. He was tall brooding and much more darker. Looking at him in full rage he could be the devil himself. I looked at him and he could see the horror on my face as he looked back. "Check upstairs!" He demanded as he grabbed me. "Did you hear anything?" He asked as I shook. He shoved me to the side as he and his men passed me. Of course, he would never think a weak woman like myself would be responsible. I fell to the stairs and cried in relief that I might be able to finally leave and get my freedom back. Before I knew it one of the guards guided me upstairs and away from Seven's body. As if it mattered. As if I wasn't relieved seeing him there. I quietly followed as he led me to our room and I took a seat on the bed. "You slept through it all?" His father stormed back towards me grabbing my throat. "You're useless!" He said as he started to choke me. I didn't even care anymore if I wasn't free then I'd welcome death happily. I just sat there as his grip tightened and his men looked away feeling nothing but pity for me. I felt as if my body was floating as I started to lose consciousness. Everything was black and heavy. This was it. Death, at last, had come to free me. I wasn't even sure that the experience was bad as I felt my out-of-body experience. I looked up and looked around seeing I was still in my old martial bed as I tried to get up. I thought I could float away but as soon as my feet hit the ground my body followed right after. I felt the weight of my body. Sad to say my now 110-pound frame ached everywhere as my lungs starved and burned for oxygen. "Get her up!" my father-in-law's voice bellowed. I looked over as I lay flat on my stomach and face as the men rushed to lift me up and lay me on the bed. It was as if it was some sick joke. I couldn't even receive death with open arms. "Why didn't you say anything?" My father-in-law stood in front of me waving the pregnancy test I now wish I had never taken. It was a clear blue test that read 'pregnant' I was pregnant by a monster, he was dead whereas I wished I was in his place. They sat me up as he propped my head up. "Tragedies and blessings." He said taking a seat on the bed and placing his hand on my stomach. "No." I weakly said as I cried. "I'm sure it'll be a boy." He said proudly as I wished it was me who had fallen down those seven stairs.