Hit, Run and Hide

Memories

Chapter  2

Two years earlier…blood and sweat trickled down my face and my heart was pounding a million miles a minute. As I tried to open my eyes, the voice in my head was screaming to get up and be ready to run. I reached up felt the warm wet patch on the side of my head and knew it was blood. As shattered glass cut into my body, I tried to move my legs but the pain shooting through my lower limbs was making almost impossible to move. My eyes darted around the room to see where he was…he was pacing throwing his arms in the air screaming stopping to point at me shaking his head and continue pacing. His yelling muffled due to ringing in my ears from the blow to my head. Of course, it was my fault…who knows what provoked the rage this time but this was going to be the last – the beatings were getting worse and harder to recover.

I knew that he would eventually kill me either way, if I stayed the beatings would continue and if I left, he would hunt me down like an animal and kill me. Neither option ideal but I preferred the latter. Hopefully, I would be able to live a little before he found me. I had been planning in secret, stealing money and hiding it away, even got myself a passport in hope that I could make it out of the country. I had one friend, Rosie she was the maid at the house and we were similar in age. She would always clean me up after his violent outbursts. She did all my outside work for me as I was kept locked up in the house. I guess he feared that I would leave him and that was his way of “keeping” me knowing full well that once the beatings started that I would be gone. He was absolutely correct only I wasn’t smart enough to see the warning signs through his charm while he trapped me into marriage.

          Today was the day, I could see over the previous few nights his temper was brewing and any day he would explode. He was showing all the warning signs. I was ready, I had been working out every day after he left the house running for miles in anticipation of how far I would initially have to outrun him and his family. As the house was equipped with a full gym, I was able to do weights to build my strength and after a few months I finally understood why people religiously go to the gym and workout. It was soul repairing, mentally rejuvenating and my body had never looked better.

          Rosie and I had worked on the escape route for months, I needed a backup for the backup for ever point.  Every time I stole money, I would give her a portion as she would need to leave and start a new life as it wouldn’t take them long to figure out that she helped me. I did not want to think what they would do to her. Ivan and his family had plenty of money that they were careless with it which enabled me to steal, but was it stealing considering I was technically part of the family? The only family member that was polar opposite to the rest was Chase. I guess by the time that he was born, he was mainly raised by servants and he had more freedoms that the other siblings ever experienced. He was a year younger than me and 2 years younger than Ivan.

Ivan was the youngest of five, 5 brothers and 1 sister. His parents had migrated here when they were very young. Apparently, they fled due to pressure from the family as they declined to enter the family business and so they came here in search of a better life. The pressure of minimum wage got to his father and he wound doing the bidding of his older brother in illegal activities between the two countries. It all changed when his brother was brutally killed in Columbia which left Ivan’s father next in line to take over the family business.

Twenty-five years later Ivan’s parents moved back to the USA. The family empire was well established so they left their oldest son in charge with his brothers to manage in Columbia, and they would maintain the end in the USA. His mum was pregnant with his sister, Clara when they arrived and then 2 years later Ivan was born then Chase. Clara and Ivan were US citizens enabling the family to establish themselves securely in the USA, and that’s what they did. Feared by those that really knew them and a family that was extremely wealthy from Columbia to the general public. Of course, everyone knew what they did but no one brave enough to take the family on. The family claimed it was rumours. Definitely. Not. Rumours.

When Ivan and I had met in high school he was charming in every way possible – swept me off my feet immediately. He was gorgeous and he knew it and girls flocked to him. Being the foolish love struck, girl that I was I fell for every promise he made me - thinking he was my prince charming and I had won the jackpot. Now that I think back, if I had stopped and used half of an inch of my brain it was obvious that Ivan was definitely not the man for me. I fell into the trap of being in love with the idea that it was real. What had started as a dream had turned into my worst nightmare. I gave up everything, college becoming a vet the whole lot for a man that waited till 2 weeks after we were married to use me as his personal punching bag.

None of that was important anymore – I couldn’t change the decisions I had made - I just had to focus on this one – to get away. People in Ivan and his family’s position threw money around like it was nothing, in their world money could buy everything and everyone. That is why there had to be a backup plan for the backup plan because I know someone can always be bought.

As predicted Ivan blew up and now my heart was thumping in my chest because it was time for me to exit this life. I just hoped that I made it out alive. Ivan was still shouting at me this time accusing me of flirting with the guards at outside the house. Absolutely ridiculous as I’m not allowed to leave the grounds…just an excuse for his own guilt. I knew that Ivan had plenty of women because we haven’t been together since our first couple of months here. We moved here 2 years ago.

He moves towards me again and I close my eyes and brace for another slap. He jerks me up screaming at me to look at him. I open my eyes to his cold dark eyes, filled with hate. I keep my expression blank, as I have learnt showing any kind of emotion just fuels him. No crying or fighting back. I give him nothing hoping that he will stop and he will leave and I will make my attempt at freedom. He pulls me closer and kisses me hard and rough, his breath reeking of beer “I’m so sorry baby, you make me crazy and I hate to think of anyone else looking at you…or touching you, Mandy you are mine” his anger starts to flare again – he is winding himself back up. I say nothing and pray he diffuses himself otherwise I will cop it again.

He throws me to the ground and storms out. Exactly as planned. I wait till I hear the car leave down the driveway.