The Art of Starting Over

The Escape

After he’s sound asleep, I hold my breath and climb out of bed, I grab my phone and sneak out of our room. I check the time 2:40 AM a little ahead of schedule, I go quietly and quickly into the bathroom where I’ve hidden my clothes for my escape sweats and an over sized tee, I quickly slip on a pair of sneakers and prepare to say goodbye to this house, so many awful memories, my parents had insisted on buying this for us and I feel bad letting their money go to waste but once they know, they will understand. I get up and freeze when I hear our bedroom door open, I lock the door and panic, f**k f**k f**k.

“SEVYN OPEN THE f*****g DOOR, YOU AND YOUR w***e FRIEND ARENT AS SMART AS YOU THINK YOU ARE, YOU THINK I DONT KNOW YOUR PASSCODE I SAW YOUR f*****g TEXTS BEFORE YOU DELETED THEM YOU STUPID BITCH.” He screams pounding on the door, I can barely hear him over the sound of my heart pounding in my ears. He starts slamming himself into the door trying to get in, f**k 10 minutes I just need 10 minutes. I start scrambling for my phone when the door gives and breaks open, it’s almost in my fingertips when i feel my hair being pulled from behind and his warm smelly breath on my ear.

“You’re not going anywhere.” He snarls before reaching up and coming down on my temple with a hard right punch, I scream in pain almost blacking out, I try to scramble away from him but he’s got my hair lock tight in his other fist. He gives my hair a rough tug so I’m lying on my back continuously beating me all over.

“THE BABY!” I scream out but he keeps hitting me in the head, the stomach, the ribs.

“I DON’T f*****g CARE IF I CANT HAVE YOU NO ONE CAN NOT EVEN OUR OWN CHILD!” I’m starting to lose consciousness when he picks me up and slams me down into the bathtub, this man I loved so dearly and treated so well is going to kill me, I wouldn’t even have the 10 minutes I needed he was going to kill me in a matter of 5.

“ALL I EVER WANTED WAS FOR YOU TO JUST BEHAVE BUT YOU CAN’T f*****g DO THAT CAN YOU?” He spits then slams my head into the bathtub, I’m screaming for dear life but no one can hear me, we’re so separated from any neighbors. “I’ll have you one last time before, I kill you.” He whispers then pulls my sweats down and licks his hand forcing himself inside of me, I scream again and the last thing I remember is the pounding on the front door before I lose consciousness, I made it 10 minutes I did it, I survived, I smile as everything fades to black.

NADIAS POV…

I check the time on my phone anxiously, at the rendezvous spot where Sevyn would ditch her car and put her things in mine, I glance at the rifle in my passenger seat, maybe I should just pull up and start shooting, I almost laugh at myself. Ugh why hasn’t she called, she has 5 minutes, she’s supposed to call me when she leaves and if she doesn’t I’m calling the police that was the plan at 2:50 I call, 5 minutes for the cops to show up, I knew how long it took the cops to get to their house, even if it was a small town in the middle of buttfuck, the cops here don’t play, and they’ve been called to their house several times before, once they even took that shitbag to jail, until Sev called her parents and begged for bail money. I lay my head back on the headrest feeling an awful feeling in the pit of my stomach, maybe I should call now, if he finds out she is leaving he really is going to kill her, no no give her time I think, 1 minute to go I call her f**k why isn’t she picking up, she should have called by now. I quickly pull up 911 on my phone and press dial I give them her address and tell them they need to get there I wouldn’t need to explain, she thinks the excuses work but they don’t the cops already know and they’re on the way I pull off to meet them there.

My stomach sinks when I pull up front 4 cop cars and an ambulance this time was really bad I can tell, they’re taking out Ritchie who’s screaming and fighting in handcuffs. I almost drop to my knees when he is followed by a stretcher an unconscious Sevyn all bloodied up being wheeled towards the ambulance, I run over.

“I’m her best friend is she okay?!” I yell at the paramedic she looks like a nightmare up close her face is swollen to all hell, scraped up and she looks unrecognizable I wouldn’t even know it was her.

“She’s in rough shape but she’ll make it, I don’t think the baby will be so lucky, but we’re gonna do everything we can.” He says sadly my eyes brim with tears as I follow him into the ambulance. She’s going to be devastated when she comes to, I hold her hand all the way to the hospital rubbing my thumb on her frail fingers. I sob quietly on the seat thinking about her broken heart, how sad she will be , how sad her parents will be they’ve been so excited for their grandbaby and now they wont even get that. I hate that asshole, he’s taken everything from this poor girl, my sweet, wonderful best friend. I pick my head up from my free hand as we arrive at the hospital, the paramedics rush her into the emergency room and tell me to wait in the lobby. I dial her parents number with shaking hands.

“Hey Nancy, I’m sorry it’s so late.” I say through tears.

“Nadia never apologize are you okay whats going on?!” Nancy’s voice comes through panicked and I hear her getting out of bed. I take a deep breath.

“Actually no, I’m with Sevyn we’re at the hospital.” I quickly tell her mom everything. “And the baby they don’t think, they don’t think the baby is going to make it, I’m so sorry Nancy.” I say sobbing now, I can hear Nancy’s tears in her voice as she replies.

“Nadia don’t be sorry, you saved my babies life tonight, you’ve done what you could. I understand everything now, we will be there as soon as we can, you tell my baby, mama is gonna be there soon, okay? Thank you so much Nadia we love you, we will see you soon.” I can barely respond and hang up.

SEVYNS POV…

My eyes struggle to open when I regain consciousness and I look around, I’m in the hospital, Nadia and my parents are sleeping on a hospital couch across the room. I’m safe now. I thought I was gonna die I feel relief and sadness wash over me when I remember what happened. THE BABY. My heart sinks I can almost feel the loss of my unborn and I feel so.. hollow. I start sobbing lightly and I feel all my pain, all of my physical, emotional and mental pain takes over and I lose it, heart wrenching screams and cries take over me. I hate that man, I hate what he’s done to me, I hate myself for putting up with it for so long, and God do I miss my baby. I feel arms around me as everyone is crowded around me now hugging me. I need it I cry in everyones arms and I know they are crying too, we’re all sad, we’re all heartbroken and we all lost something.

“Oh honey.” My mom looks at me putting my face in between her hands she kisses my forehead with tears running down her face. “I would’ve killed him if I knew.” She rubs her fingers along my cheeks. I grab her hand in mine and hold it against my cheek crying. “Ow.” I said crying and laughing as I realize I’m bruised and hurt all over she smiles at me as my father comes up behind her and Stephen behind him. Okay so my parents are a little different, my parents have always been very interesting… my dad met my mom when they were 15, high school sweethearts, but my dad has always been interested in both men and women, and my mom has always been very fluid as well, they both went to college and ended up owning a few businesses that really took off in the city. They own a few restaurants and clothing stores and are well known people around Manhattan. 20 years ago before I was born my father met Stephen and instantly fell for him, he was a handsome man very muscular blonde hair blue eyes, real boy next door type and so very sweet, so my dad say’s you have to meet my wife and so he does and my mom fell just as deeply in love with him as my dad did and well they’ve all been together ever since. So I have 3 parents, they all raised me and I love them all dearly even though my mom and my father biologically conceived me Stephen is just as much of a parent to me and loves me like his own, he can’t conceive his own children so he doesn’t feel left out. I knew he was in as much pain as my other parents he was the most excited for my baby.

Nadia comes up to me and takes my hand I look into her eyes.

“Nadia I can’t thank you enough for being there for me always and saving my life, I would’ve, I would’ve died and you didn’t let that happen.” I smile at her and she smiles back.

“I knew you would’ve done the same for me, my only regret is that I couldn’t be sooner oh and well that I didn’t kill the fucker.” She says with a smile but I know she meant it, if she ever got her hands on him she really would’ve.

The next few days are a blur, Dr.’s in and out I did end up losing the baby, but I’m still young one day I will meet a man who will treat me right and give me the life I deserve and a baby he and I will both love equally. I’m getting discharged today and I can’t wait to be back at my parents townhouse, with my parents and my dogs and my best friend right down the street, I can’t wait to see all of my friends when I heal up, I can’t wait to be 21 in 2 weeks and go out and just enjoy my life for once. Everything is going to be all better, Ritchie is currently in jail awaiting trial. His mom sent me a nasty text but I ignored it. I don’t have to deal with that s**t anymore, I am officially a free single woman.