Flames From The Past

LENA’S POV. “Open the door this very minute, you w***e!! “Get away from me, Ben; you are evil. I couldn't think straight at that point; my thought process was constantly interrupted by the loud bang on the door. I rested my back on the door as I closed my eyes and held my bleeding nose with my left arm, waiting for the banging sound to stop. “You better sign those papers before I get back from work. When it eventually stopped, I slowly collapsed to the floor with tears in my eyes. I was in pain, and there was no one to save me from it. My nose was bleeding, and my upper arm was bruised. I was constantly brutalized by the man who claimed to love me. I got married to Ben four years ago, and it has been hell for me. I thought my marriage to him was going to bring me peace, but rather, it brought me hurt and constant pain. I lay on the cold floor, and tears were rolling down my face freely. All I could hear at that point was the voice of my father warning me not to get married to Ben. My father never liked him, and it seemed like he saw something in Ben that I couldn't see, but I was so blinded by love that I didn't notice his flaws. The night we got married, Ben left the house and he didn't come back until 6 a.m., and when I confronted him about it, he gave me the beating of my life. I lost count of the number of miscarriages I’ve had due to Ben’s violence. When I got up from the floor, I opened the door, and the whole space was quiet. I walked slowly to the sitting room to see if Ben was still there, but he was gone, and as I tried to turn back to my room, my eyes caught a glimpse of a brown envelope on the table. When I opened it, I saw that it was my divorce paper. I tried to cry, but my eyes were dry. No tears were coming out, but my heart was heavy. With a heavy heart, I signed the papers. There was no need to keep avoiding them; there was nothing left for me in the house. I better leave before Ben hurts me when he returns from work. After I signed the papers, I went upstairs and washed up my body in the shower. I was trying to scrub my back, but I couldn't bend my hand towards it because it was hurting badly. My whole body was sore, and my mouth was bitter. Whenever I tried to swallow my saliva, it felt like I was chewing through a mouthful of lemon. I came out of the bathroom, and it became worse. My temperature was high, and I was feverish. I picked up my phone to call my friend Jane, but her line wasn't connecting; it was switched off. I reluctantly put my clothes on; I couldn't drive, so I took an Uber to the hospital. I got to the hospital and sat in the lobby, waiting for the doctor to see me. After an hour of waiting, I was finally called. I got to the doctor's office, and I fell on the chair. My legs couldn't carry me at that point. “Omg! You didn't tell me you were coming, Lena; you wouldn’t have to wait for that long if I had known. You have a bad fever. I was admitted immediately. The doctor didn't ask further questions when she saw the bruises on my body. She knew what was happening in my marriage, and even though she had advised me to leave it, I didn't listen to her because I believed that Ben was going to change, but it got worse each time I decided to give my marriage another try. I was put in a ward, and a drip was connected to my arm. The nurse was with my phone, and I instructed her to keep trying Jane’s number, and eventually, it went through. Jane was in the hospital in no time, and when she got into the ward, I saw tears in her eyes. She wasn't happy to see me in that state. I didn't know what to say to her. Immediately, I made eye contact with her. I began to cry, and she moved closer to me and hugged me as she tried to console me. “It is going to be alright; I am glad you are out of his grip for good; He can never hurt you again. Jane was moved to tears when she saw how I was looking. I was so pale and malnourished because I was constantly abused by my husband. One part of me was happy that I signed the divorce papers because I would finally be free from his abuse, but on the other hand, I was scared. Fear of the unknown gripped me. I was scared to start all over again after four years. I was quiet as I stared at a space, and Jane noticed that it was as if she could read my thoughts. “I know what you are thinking, but it's going to be alright. “Where do I start? I don't know how to start afresh. “Don't think too much about it; you are going to be fine. I am not leaving you; I will be by your side all through your journey. Words were not enough to express how grateful I was to have Jane in my life; she was my backbone. When my parents passed away two years ago, she was the only person who was constantly there to make sure I was okay. Ben didn't care; he was busy chasing after girls. The doctor came in at this point and gave me a warm smile, but it didn't stay on her cheek because it was fading away at the speed of light. “Congratulations, Lena. You are five weeks pregnant.