CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Franky paces up and down her little bathroom as we wait for the timer to go off. I don't even know how I am seated and not pacing the room like Franky after peeing on the stick. I think my shaky legs and bloody lips from biting them hard are enough to say how nervous I am about finding out if I am pregnant or not. I don't even want to imagine how Thomas will kill me if I am pregnant. I am just praying to God that's not the case. I have suffered enough.
"How long did you say it has been since you guys slept together?" Franky asks for the third time today.
"Three or four weeks, I am not sure."
"It's not too early to tell if you are pregnant" She walks over to me by the edge of the tub and sits down beside me. She pulls my hand into hers. "Have you thought about him wanting the baby? I am scared of what he will do to you if he finds you again if you run away. Maybe you should tell him about it then runaway if he asks you to get rid of it."
"That's too risky. If I tell him I am pregnant and he doesn't want me to keep the baby. He will make it happen the second he finds out. I can't risk it, Franky."
"You are right. Let's hope you are not pregnant."
"I pray so too."
A minute after Franky and I finish talking, the timer on her phone goes off. I look between Franky and the pregnancy test. My heart rate increases as I fear to check the pregnancy stick to find out if I am pregnant or not.
"Please help me look? I can't."
"Of course," Franky confidently answers, but I can still tell she is as scared as me to read the result. She wipes her sweaty palms on her jeans and walks to the sink to pick up the test. My breath gets caught in my throat as she lifts it up to see the result. The second a tear rolls down her eyes, I know the result without even looking at it.
"I am pregnant," I voice out the words Franky is too shaken to say. She burst out in tears and pulls me into a hug.
"I am so sorry this is happening to you, Mel," She whispers into my hair. Tears flow down my face as I hold on to my sister. I can't believe I am pregnant. Why am I pregnant, God? This is only going to make my life worse. Thomas will be furious and kill me if he finds me after I succeed in running away, and if I don't succeed, he will kill my child. Why do both options have to be so bad? I don't understand. Am I cursed or something?
"I still think you should tell him, Mel. He might hate you, but the child is his. He might actually want the baby," Franky says, removing her arms from around me.
"Franky, trust me on this, Thomas would kill my baby. I have no single doubt about that."
The hatred Thomas feels for me is a lot. I can never see him happy that I am pregnant with his child. It would even make him hate me more. I can't risk telling him I am pregnant, hoping he might want a baby. Thomas killed someone when he got arrested because of me. He violated my body because he was angry at me. He has choked me twice and almost shot me. The horrible things Thomas has done to me are enough for me to know that he would never accept a child with my blood in its veins. I can bet even if he doesn't kill my baby. There is no way he is going to love my child. I can bet he will make the child pay for my sins, and I can't let that happen. I need to run away from him; hopefully, he will never find me again.
***
Thomas and I are on our way back to the hotel. Before I left Franky's house, we discussed how I would escape. I felt it would be wiser to run another day instead of today. I felt if I tried today, Thomas would definitely catch me. He let me go out today, so there is no way he didn't think of the possibility of me running away. He must have prepared for it if I tried. I take a breath and begin to execute the first step in Franky and I's plan.
"Thomas," I gently call his name.
"Yes" He doesn't take his attention away from his phone as he answers me
"I wanted to let you know I am feeling better, so there is no need to visit the doctor" Once I finish speaking, he takes his eyes away from his phone and turns to face me. He looks at me from head to toe and turns back to his phone
"Did you take something? You don't look pale anymore."
"Yes, my sister got me something to help with the stomach bug" Thank God, he has dropped the idea of taking me to see a doctor. I was so worried he might push it. I have never been happier that he hates me than I do now. I am sure he just wanted to take me to the doctor to ensure I was not dying. He doesn't care about me to follow up on a check-up even if I say I don't need one.
"Good to hear, but once I see you throw up again. We are going to the hospital."
"It won't happen again" Hopefully, not in front of you
The car comes to a halt in front of a restaurant. Thomas steps out of the car, and I follow suit. The place looks familiar, but I can't recall how I know it.
"Melina, do you remember this restaurant," Thomas says, standing in front of the restaurant.
"Not really, but it looks familiar."
"Of course, you don't remember it. It's the place you ate once we landed in LA."
"Oh, yes, you are right."
Thomas walks behind me and places his two hands on my shoulders. "Now that you remember, I want you to take a good look at it" He forces me to stare at the restaurant and nothing else.
"Why" I try to turn around and face him as I ask, but he forces me to face forward
"Because this is what would happen to your sister's house if she does the same thing the manager in this place did" Out of nowhere, the place catches fire. We are at a good distance, so the heat from the fire doesn't reach us. I freeze in my spot as I watch the whole place begin to burn. Sadness overcomes me as I feel bad for the owners of the place. "If you love your sister as you claim, make sure the minute I give you the phone you tell her that any stupid plan she has to take you away from me, this is the end result of what her house would become and if she is not lucky I might include her too. So fucking warn her not to try anything stupid." Thomas whispers into my ears as his nails dig into my shoulders. "Here," he throws a phone into my palm.
I quickly dial Franky's number and tell her the opposite of what Thomas asks me to say. I tell her that we need to execute our plan sooner than we planned because what Thomas did tonight just tells me how dangerous it is for my baby to be around him. He burnt down a whole building because the manager called the police on him. I don't even want to imagine how he would kill my baby. I unconsciously wrap my hands around my flat belly. I look around, and once I am sure no one is around me, I begin to speak to my stomach.
"Mummy promises to take you far away from daddy and keep you safe. She is not going to fail again. Even if it's the last thing she does on this earth, she will make sure she brings you into this world and make sure your father never knows of your existence. That's my promise to you, little one" I kiss my palm and place it on my belly. I wipe away the teardrop that fell from my eyes and walks to the car. Thomas is a monster, and I need to get away from him as soon as possible.