Destined by Chance

Elizabeth was watching the clock as she was rewriting her story for the fourth time today. Her mind was distracted, not knowing what kind of mood Jim was going to be in when he got home from work. She never knew if he was going to be happy or come through the door drunk because of a case he thought he had won but lost. She knew that this trial had been the hardest so far, because one moment he would be loving, intimate, and kind. Then, without warning, he would scream, yell and put her down. Most recently, she was afraid of him returning home because every moment she feared that this would be the day he would snap. As always, she had dinner on the stove because she knew Jim would want to eat as soon as he walked through the door. It was almost six when she heard his flashy, red, corvette pull into the driveway. Elizabeth listened carefully as he got closer to the door, hoping that tonight he was in a better mood than he was last night. He fumbled with the keys, trying to unlock the door. Elizabeth knew he already had too much to drink. Her hope was that after he ate he would go right to sleep without a fuss. But as Jim opened the door he was already in rare form as he slurred his words. "You dumb b***h, if you heard me struggling to get in, why didn't you open the door for me? All you do is lie around the house doing nothing. It's not like you have a job. If it wasn't for me, you probably would end up on the street selling yourself or dead." Elizabeth watched Jim trip over the threshold of the kitchen as he came closer to her. She caught him before he could land on his face. She led him to the chair so he could sit at the table as she apologized to him. "I'm sorry Jim, I didn't hear you pull up. I was multitasking, so I could get some writing done. Next time I will be more attentive to my surroundings. I'll do better." Jim, who was now seated comfortably at the table, grunted as Elizabeth put his food in front of him. His reply made Elizabeth want to give up on life when he grinned intently at her as he spat. " You see, even a defiant hoodrat like yourself can be trained. When I first found you, you believed you could be someone. Now you know your place is here to be mine for whatever I need. Tonight I will make sure you will never forget that I own you. You won't ever think twice about disobeying me or not helping me again. " Elizabeth was holding back all of her emotions as he grabbed her arm, pulling her closer to him. She was begging him, "Jim, please you are hurting me. You are drunk and not thinking straight. Please, stop. I promise it won't happen again." The more Elizabeth fought to get away, the harder Jim's grip became. His anger was raging like a roaring fire inside him. He pulled her down to the ground on her knees beside him. He grabbed a fist full of dark hair, pulling hard, making her look up at him as he said. " As of tonight there are going to be new rules here. From now on, you'll be at my beck and call. You won't be permitted to write any more silly stories, and you'll wait on me hand and foot. Whatever I say goes, if you don't like it you'll find out that action has consequences. You won't like them either. I took you in so you wouldn't end up on the streets after your parents' death. Now you owe me. It's time to pay your debt. " Elizabeth was in tears from the roughness. She cried with a rebellious nature and said, "You still haven't found out who killed my parents to begin with, but you say I owe you. What do I owe you for? You are not the guy...." He slapped her with full force across her face without a second guess. His evil grin made Elizabeth fear for her life. She knew deep down she had to get away, but she didn't know how. He always kept close tabs on her, especially since he worked with many government officials. He rubbed elbows with almost everyone that has power. She just needed to figure out a way to get away, but right now she couldn't think about that. Jim was still going on and on in the background. It wasn't until he kicked her in her stomach that she blacked out. Elizabeth was still on the floor when morning came. Her clothes were all torn, and she was in alot of pain. She knew that nobody here in town would believe her if she was even to report it. She changed out of her clothes carefully, wincing because of the pain in her body. She knew she had to go get checked out to make sure nothing was broken. Elizabeth waited until she knew that Jim was busy in court to head to the clinic. She hobbled three blocks in baggy clothes, a scarf wrapped around her head, and giant sunglasses to hide the bruises she knew were there. She didn't want people to stare at her. She was so embarrassed when she walked into the front door of the clinic. Elizabeth was about to turn around to walk out of the clinic when a woman at the front desk greeted her with kindness. "Miss, you came to the right place if you need help. I promise that there is no problem we cannot solve. Do you need to be seen?" The beautiful blonde-haired blue-eyed woman smiled softly, trying to reassure Elizabeth that she was safe. Elizabeth studied her for a few minutes before sighing, "I don't think you can solve my problem, but I do need to be seen. I had an accident last night and I want to make sure I didn't break anything." The woman smiled, knowing that this broken woman didn't have an accident. She was afraid of being there, so she tried to reassure her. "It's okay you don't have to give us a name. We can make it look like you were never here. My name is Shelly, can I get yours?" Elizabeth hesitated at first, knowing that if Jim found out tonight it would be even worse. When Shelly saw the fear in her eyes she said, "It's okay, we don't need your name either. But I know you're afraid, but I can reassure you that you are safe here. We help many who think there is no help. Please allow me to try." Elizabeth just shook her head as she whispered, "My name is Elizabeth. I didn't have an accident, but my abuser is very powerful and would get away with it. What can you do to help me?" Shelly smiled as she nodded at another woman coming from the back, "Well, if you give me a few to close up my associate and I can check you out. We can give you a few x-rays, any tests you may want or need, and then we can discuss other options to help if you would like us too." Just then, a petite brunette came by their side with the softest smile, trying to hide her concern. "Hello, Elizabeth, my name is Sarah. I am going to get you settled into one of our rooms. It is much more comfortable there. We'll also have more privacy to talk. I promise you came to the right place."