Chapter One
1296 Words
Another Night Out
The sound came suddenly—an unrelenting thud, heavy and deliberate, each strike reverberating like a hammer against her fragile resolve. It wasn’t just a knock; it was a demand, carrying the weight of frustration and impatience. The vibrations crawled through the wooden door, creeping into the room, amplifying the tension that already suffocated the air.
It was coming from outside the bedroom door. Laura sat on their matrimonial bed. Her legs held up together by her hands as she rested her head on her knees. Her voice hitched as tears streamed down her face.
Knock. Knock.
The knock intensified. Ignoring some things wouldn't make them go away but for Laura,she had wished ignoring this beast of a man would make him disappear. She stared at the door, her heart pounding against her ribs.
She should have seen this coming, but gratitude had blinded her back then. Marcus Alder had offered her a life of luxury, and in return, she’d signed herself into a nightmare disguised as a marriage.
She had married Ethan due to circumstances surrounding a scandal that could ruin her family's life. She was adopted by an elite family when her biological parents died. Marcus Alder had noticed her during some of his philanthropic events in partnership with an orphanage.
Fortunately,Laura was an orphan in one of his sponsored orphanages and after frequent visits she had caught his eyes and he decided to adopt. In order to help the Alder's resolve an impending scandal brewing around them that could possibly ruin their reputation in the corporate world she got married to Ethan to shield the Alders from the scandal, an act she believed repaid their kindness. But gratitude shouldn’t leave bruises.
Gratitude. That’s what they’d called it. But gratitude shouldn’t feel like shackles. It shouldn’t make her cower behind a locked door, wishing she’d never been adopted at all.
Ethan was being Ethan again as usual! He had gone out and returned home dead drunk. When Ethan arrived,he picked a fight with her which led to him threatening to teach her a lesson. Her ribs still ached from last week’s altercation, a sharp reminder of how easily Ethan’s anger turned into violence.
To her this was not a new occurrence. At least he comes home drunk four times in a week and she always had to go through this with him. She tightened her grip on the bedspread, remembering how her life once was,when she could understand what freedom was. Now it was a noose, tightening with every drunken return.
Laura and Ethan's argument today was very intense. Ethan had threatened to kill Laura if she didn't stop trying to talk him out of returning home drunk.
She had to protect herself. She ran into their matrimonial bedroom— her sanctuary. Laura curled into herself on the bed, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees as though holding her body together could keep her from breaking apart
“Laura…come on. Open the door for me,” Ethan said in a calm tone almost as if he felt remorseful for what he had done and things he had said to Laura but Laura knew deep down it was a way of luring Laura out of the room.
“Go away!’ She yelled, her chest heaved as she struggled to breathe through the sobs racking her body. Tears spilled over, streaking her cheeks like silent screams. It was as if the dam she had built over her eyes had broken causing an overflow. “Just leave me alone.” She pleaded.
“Laura,” Ethan called, his voice a low, saccharine murmur. “Come on, darling. Don’t make me stand out here all night. It’s cold.” Ethan pleaded in a masked tone in his second attempt to lure her out.
His plea was met with silence. “Come out you b***h we have unfinished business!” Ethan yelled at Laura hitting the door hysterically that Laura feared the door might fall off. The doorknob rattled violently, the screws shivering under the impact. Ethan’s muffled voice slurred threats through the acacia wood, and the stale stench of alcohol seeped into the cracks, reaching her like an unwanted visitor.
Her hands trembled as she clutched the bedspread. Her chest felt hollow, yet her heart pounded relentlessly, each beat a painful reminder of her reality, she was— devastated.
She knew that if Ethan found his way into this room she would be done for. She pressed her back against the headboard, straining to catch every sound outside the door, her breaths shallow and quick.
The pounding stopped. One minute passed, then another. The silence outside the door was almost louder than the chaos that preceded it. The minutes crawled by, stretching endlessly in the silence. Ethan’s yelling had stopped. Has he passed out? Or was he waiting, just as she was, for the next move?
The silence dragged on until her breathing began to even out. Then, a sudden crash shattered her fragile calm—a deafening snap as the lock gave way, and her fragile barrier shattered.
She froze, her body stiffening as the door burst open, wood splinters scattering like cardboard. Ethan staggered into the room under the influence of alcohol, his body looming larger than life in the dim light.
His bloodshot eyes locked onto her’s, his breath reeking of whiskey and anger.
“You think you can run from me?” he yelled, his voice thick and intimidating. Each step he took toward her felt like a countdown to disaster.
“Please Ethan, just let it go,” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the sound of her racing heart. “For just this night.” Her hands gripped the bedspread so tightly her knuckles turned white.
Ethan sneered, shaking his head as he lunged toward her. “You think you can control me? You think you can talk down on me like I’m some child? I drink when when I want!”
The moment his hand reached out, something inside Laura snapped. Fear had always paralyzed her, but tonight, it ignited a spark. Her survival instincts roared to life. She wasn’t just a victim.
She had become someone who wanted to survive this night—just this night.
As he grabbed her arm, she squeezed herself out of his grip,adrenaline running through her vain giving her the strength she didn't know she had.
The weight of the metal lamp was reassuring as she wrapped her fingers around it. She turned to face him, her chest heaving with determination and prickle of fear. “Stay away from me,” she warned, her voice trembling but fierce.
Ethan laughed. “Or what, Laura? What are you gonna do, huh?”
He stepped closer, and Laura didn’t think. She swung the lamp with every ounce of strength in her body. The crash was deafening as it connected with his temple, and Ethan crumpled to the floor like a ragdoll, blood trickling from the side of his head.
Laura stood over him, the lamp still clutched in her shaking hands. Her breath came in short gasps, her mind reeling. He wasn’t moving.
Her eyes darted to the door, then back to his lifeless form. Panic and relief collided in her chest. She needed to get out—now. This was her chance to escape.
She grabbed her phone from the nightstand, dialing the only number she trusted—her childhood friend, Jasmine. The phone rang once, twice, before a groggy voice answered.
“Jasmine,” Laura whispered urgently, tears streaming down her face. “I need your help. I…I think I killed him.”
She had a second thought and decided to call the hospital. She knew he needed medical treatment.
- Writer
