Tempted By Love

Chapter 1 - Decision Making

20 Minutes Before….

Narrator's (P.O.V)

Just then the surgeons working on her are alarmed as the machines start beeping. “Her blood pressure is dropping…. We're losing her…. Find that bleed NOW!” Dr Galanis yells in a panic, so afraid at the thought of losing the patient on the table. All chaos breaks loose in the room as nurses and interns try to assist Dr Galanis in any way they can while the machines continue to beep like crazy.

12 Hours Before….

Margo's (P.O.V)

Quick, Hurry! I tell Matt beside me as we run together. The sound of our feet pounding on the dusty ground as we’re trying to get away from our captures is increasing as our speed increases. I try to be quieter, but my adrenaline gets my blood pumping through me, causing a thunderous sound in my ears.

We have to get away! We have to survive this! These thoughts are going through my mind. There is no one coming to save us! I reassured myself. As we pass tree after tree thinking there is no way out, I finally see a clearing up ahead so I focus my energy on making sure we get there.

The closer we get, the more I feel hope rising in me. Just a few more miles to go then we are home free. When we’re about to reach the clearing, someone grabs my right foot and pulls hard, causing me to fall face first. My upper body hits the ground hard; while I’m still holding on to Matt; he too hits the ground on his side.

Due to the impact, all three of us roll down a slope that leads to a waterfall all the while this person still has me in his clutches. I pull Matt to my chest trying to protect him from the fall with my body as I struggle to get free. Unfortunately, my efforts are in vain. Landing on my back with Matt on top of me, at the bottom of the waterfall, I experience a sharp pain shooting through my back.

Arching my back and screaming in pain; I lost focus of the person that was chasing us. He uses that moment as an opportunity to restrain me by climbing on me and holding me down with one arm. While grabbing Matt and holding him up with the other. I twist my body as hard as I can, trying to wiggle free from his restraint and find a way to save Matt. When he had a smug smirk on his face, chuffed with himself that he caught us. I screamed at him, ”Let us go, Now!” He smiled at me and before my eyes he threw Matt as hard as he could, and Matt hit his head on a rock as his lifeless body fell to the ground, blood spilling from his head from the impact of where he hit his head. As I screamed out, “Noooo!” I heard this beeping sound.

BEEP! …... BEEP! ….. BEEP! I realize it's my alarm clock, my mind slowly coming back to reality. My eyes pop open and I sit up abruptly. “It was only a dream!” I voiced it out loud. Shoo, I'm relieved to see I'm still in bed and indeed it was only a dream.

My hands automatically went to my highly pregnant belly as I checked on my babies growing inside me. A wave of relief flows through me the moment I feel both of them kick.

Turning to my left, I look at the time and realize it's only 5am and already Theo is gone and his side of the bed is already cold. I lay back down, going through my mental checklist of things I need to do for the day.

Get Matt ready for the day

Make breakfast

Shopping after breakfast

Matt's swimming lesson at noon

Go over the plan... Oh yes, the plan, today is the day everything falls into place. I need to prepare Matt for what is about to happen. It’s amazing when you surround yourself with people that really love and care for you, how eager they are to help you out of whatever mess you may find yourself in. That is what you call true friends; they always got your back.

Thank God for Rita, she has always been by my side since the first day we met in grade 5. I will never forget that day. I was shorter and tinier than the other kids my age.

I remember how Melissa and her posse used to find any excuse to tease and torture me. They would make fun of my hairstyles and the way I’d dress. At lunchtime they always took my pocket money from me, threw my drink over my head, and smashed my muffin or sandwich in my face in front of the other kids at break time.

I would try my best to avoid them so I started eating my lunch in the bathroom but that didn't help at all. Somehow they always found me. In the bathroom they would kick my lunch around and throw toilet water over me and make me drink it. If I tried to complain or report them to the teacher, they would put on innocent facades, so the teachers always believed them over me.

Make no mistake that after school they always caught me before I went home and would beat me up in a way that didn't leave bruises where you could see them.

Mom once found my bruises when she came into my room without knocking, while I was dressing for school. Standing in front of the long length mirror in the corner of my room, wearing my bootleg jeans and my favorite pink & white takkies, about to put on my light purple and pink rock star t-shirt, when she was surprised to see the dark purple bruises on my stomach and back. “What happened to you? Who did this to you?” She asked me in a panic. “It’s nothing mom, I’m OK, I just fell.” I told her. But she didn't believe me and instead made a doctor's appointment for that morning before school so her mind could be at ease.

After school that day, my mom tried talking to me to get me to open up, but I kept quiet, sure that not even my mom would believe me if the teachers didn't. My dad is furious when he finds out, but still they don't get a word out of me. I eventually convinced them that I fell down the few steps outside on my way home from school. From then on I made sure to be careful not to let them see any other bruises on my body.

This went on for a whole 2 years before Rita started at our school. She was not that much taller than me, but she was a firecracker and no one could bully her in any way. For me it was a normal day as usual; Melissa and her posse were bullying me in the bathroom when Rita walked in and couldn't believe the scene before her eyes. Melissa had her hands on my neck in a tight grip, forcing my head down the toilet while I was struggling to get my head up, needing to gasp for air. While the other girls (Acacia, Yalena and Saffi) were emptying out my backpack and ruining my school books.

Immediately, Rita pulls out her cell phone and records what is happening before the girls have a chance to notice that she was there. After recording for 5 minutes, she quickly puts her phone away while shouting for the teacher Karyn to come quickly, before she steps up behind Melissa, who is much bigger than her. She tugs her back, trying to get her off me. Just then, teacher Karyn walks in “What is all this commotion about?” She asks as she takes in the scene before her eyes.

“Girls Stop Immediately!” She shouts, and immediately Acacia, Yalena and Saffi are frozen in place, realizing that they have been caught in the act. Melissa, though, doesn't register that teacher Karyn is in the bathroom. She is still in a struggle with Rita trying to keep my head down as long as possible. Teacher Karyn shouts “Melissa!”, in an attempt to get her to stop while running towards us, but she still doesn’t budge.That's when teacher Karyn quickly lifts her up off me.

The video Rita took together with teacher Karyn's testimony finally put an end to all that bullying. Melissa, Acacia, Yalena and Saffi finally got suspended for their behavior as well as detention and clean-up duty in the cafeteria for 2 months.

From that day on Rita and I became best friends to this day, we always have each other's back. For some reason having her in my life made me stronger and I never allowed anyone to bully me again from then on.

By the time I check the clock again, it's 6:30am time to get up and get ready before I wake Matt up. Getting out of bed these days is not so easy with my big belly and the extra weight, but I finally managed to get up and make my bed. Waddling my way into the bathroom, I’m mentally pulling an outfit together for the day. By the time I find myself standing in front of the sink, staring at myself in the mirror. The bags and dark circles under my eyes tell a story of restlessness and stress, the more I think about all I have been through these last few months. Don’t get me wrong things have been bad the last few years but Theo's mood swings got worse the past few months since he found out I was pregnant again. In these past few years he was verbally abusive and only to me but never in front of Matt. Since finding out I was pregnant he became physically abusive towards me and only started hurting Matt the past few weeks which is what pushed me to come up with this plan. Mentally or physically abusing me is one thing but I can't sit back and watch my babies being abused. I have to make it work somehow. As I look at myself in the mirror, I need to be strong, I can’t break down now. My kids need me. “You can do this girl!” I encourage myself.

Picking up my toothbrush, I put toothpaste on it and begin brushing my teeth, all the while going over the plan in my head. Oh, how I wish I didn't have to go through with it, but enough is enough for the sake of my children, things are going to have to change. Remembering the first time Theo hurt my sweet boy Matt and seeing how defenseless we both were in that moment gives me more courage and motivation to carry out the plan. Matt couldn’t stand watching his dad beat me when he tried to stop him by getting in between us. That did not stop Theo, instead in an attempt to get him out of the way he pushed him hard to the ground causing him to bump his head on the corner of the table in the lounge. When Matt tried to get up screaming at his dad to stop Theo turned towards him shouting and asking him if he wanted some too then punched him in the tummy. Matt just curled into the fetal position crying and I tried to get to defend or protect Matt when Theo turned to me giving me one last kick to my thighs and walking out of the room. Remembering the scene just breaks my heart all over again. I kept praying for God to get us out of this situation. That's when Rita came up with this plan and suggested it to me. She has really been a Godsend and helped me every step of the way without Theo suspecting anything.

Undressing and getting into the shower is a bit of a mission because I’m moving slower these days as I'm getting closer to my due date. Eventually I get into the shower and turn the water on, adjusting to the perfect temperature for me.

As the water cascades down my body, I remember how things used to be and how madly in love Theo and I were; nothing could separate us then. How did things get so bad I still can't understand. I never ever thought I would find myself in such a helpless situation being a ‘Weak’ woman, a victim of domestic violence. God please give me the strength to follow through with this plan.

After all I have given Theo chance after chance to change but it is clear that he will not change. The one that should be protecting both of us from everything and everyone is the one causing harm to us emotionally, and physically.

It doesn't matter anymore; I promised Matt and myself the last time we suffered this physical abuse that this will not happen again; that all our suffering will come to an end. That's when Rita suggested the plan to me and we have been working on it since. Now all I have to do is follow through. Applying lotion on my body and getting dressed is another mission on its own. It’s hard to bend with the huge round belly in my way and even harder to put on shoes or takkies that need to be fastened or tied, so I made sure that I have a variety of comfortable slip on sandals to make it easier for me to slip on and go.

As I finish getting dressed, I brush my hair and tie it up in a ponytail because with this heat my long hair makes it worse as it falls on my back. It’s cooler on my body if it is tied up. I make my way downstairs to start with breakfast before I wake Matt up and by this time it is 8 am. Matt doesn’t take long to get ready in the mornings plus he has a nanny to help him take a bath and get dressed. I made sure to get a day nanny, with Theo’s permission of course, when it became too difficult for me to move around. That's how it has been since these past few months, Theo refuses to do anything financially for Matt or myself so everything has fallen on me. Thank God I have my own job as a secretary and the salary is not as grand as what Theo brings in but it is a little more than enough for me to take care of myself and my kids.

I decided to make Matt his favorite blueberry pancakes with chocolate syrup and some scrambled eggs on the side. I've already made the batter for the pancakes, when I decided to wake Matt up to brush his teeth before his nanny comes. As I walk into Matt's room I see his small still frame lying on the bed underneath the blankets. His ruffled sandy brown hair is sticking out at the top of the blanket. I walk over to the bed and sit next to him stroking his hair with my hand while praying that God will watch over my child and that he has a bright future ahead of him. I whisper in his ear to get him to wake up, “Matt, baby wake up. It's morning and Mummy made your favorite pancakes for breakfast.” He looks at me with his big emerald-green sleepy eyes. “Morning mummy,'' he says in a sleepy voice. “Did you really make my favorite blueberry pancakes with chocolate syrup hmmmm..” He asked in his cute little baby voice. “Hmmm…..Let me think…. Yes my love I made them all for you, if you get up and brush your teeth quickly, you can have as many as you like.” With that Matt jumped out of bed quickly and ran to the bathroom to brush his teeth, while I went back down stairs to make pancakes and scrambled eggs for him. Just as I finish the first round of pancakes Matt climbs up on the stool by the counter waiting patiently, expectant for his breakfast. Placing the plate before him with him licking his lips and his wide eyes, eyeing the mountain of blueberry pancakes and chocolate syrup dripping off them, he excitedly hums a hhmmmmm sound before he digs in.

2 Hours Before…..

Margo's (P.O.V)

I can't believe it tonight is the night for the final escape. Everything is in place. I've spoken to Matt and reassured him that we will be ok. Rita is also on schedule with her part of the plan, everything is set. I can’t believe what we are about to pull off.

As I'm putting the final touches for dinner, I'm still trying to come to terms with the fact that this will be the last dinner that Matt and I will have with Theo. All this moving around in the kitchen causes the babies to kick more than usual. At that moment I remembered that I still haven't picked names for my twin girls yet. As I ponder that girl's names go through my mind, Aglaia which means wisdom or glory in Greek, is a good name that comes to my mind and Laya is a possible nickname I can call her. Or there’s Adora which means beautiful in Greek, Ada can be her nickname. There's Alicia which means honest and Vanessa which means butterfly, it is a very common name. There's Trina which means innocent, Theodora which means gift of God, there's Rina which means peaceful and also would be named after Rita, my best friend. That's just a few names swimming around in my head at the moment, though I haven't decided completely yet. Theo refuses to be part of this process so once again I have to do everything by myself.

There's this nervous feeling in the pit of my tummy that I can't seem to shake as if something horrible is about to happen. Lord please protect us and let everything go well. I pray silently in my heart.

Theo hasn't come home yet he's running a bit late. Maybe it's better this way. Then we might not have a chance to see him at all before this final escape. He has been coming home really late or sometimes not at all these past few weeks. I know he has been cheating on me with countless women but as usual I am not allowed to say anything. The pain I feel in my heart every time I think about this I cannot comprehend or even try to explain it to anybody. This man is the love of my life who has hurt me so deeply countless times. But after tonight I don't have to stay subjected to this kind of treatment or way of life.

As I continue setting the table for dinner and seating Matt at the table, I dish up food for him and myself. While we were eating the front door burst open and slammed shut. I can hear the sound of heavy footsteps coming towards us and I immediately recognize that it is a very drunk staggering Theo. Matt stiffens in his seat while looking up at me with these fearful big green eyes as if to say you promised it wouldn't happen again. I give him a reassuring look that everything will be fine to calm him down a bit before Theo walks in the room.