Chapter 22-5

"Then why did I find this in my room." Charlotte felt all the colour drain from her face when Landon turned around holding not only her drawing book but her box of items she had been hiding from him. "Landon, please let me explain." She begged as his face showed no emotion at all. "Explain. What do you want to explain, my love? The drawing book filled with pictures upon pictures of another man. Or do you want to explain the cigarettes I found hiding in the box or better yet the contraception pills? Or after I told you to move the fuck on, I find not 1 but 2 pictures of the baby. The dead baby might, I add. Didn't you learn your lesson last time?" Charlotte started crying. She didn't care about anything else but the only two pictures of her daughter left. Landon had found them before and burned every single one. He had burned almost everything that belonged to the baby as punishment for something she couldn't remember doing. "Please Landon." She begged. She knew there was no point in trying to explain, so all she had to do was beg. "Please. That's not even the best bit. Aaron, why don't you tell Charlotte what you found on her phone." Landon took a step towards her as Aaron smirked. "Sure, can boss. I found an interesting website Charlotte on your phone while you were sleeping. Does the name Harrison Lawyers sound familiar?" Charlotte's eyes widened as she quickly looked between Aaron and Landon. "Go on Aaron tell my naughty, naughty fiancée what they specialise in." Charlotte didn't even feel it when Landon grabbed the back of her neck, kicked the back of her knees sending her painfully to the hard tiled floor. "Domestic violence cases," Aaron smirked as Landon pulled her head so she was looking up at him towing over her. She was shivering in fear as tears ran down her face. It was a moment of weakness. She had gotten off the phone to Landon after a frightening call and googled lawyers who dealt with domestic cases. However, the moment she clicked on the website she closed it in fear of what would happen if she tried to leave. "Did you think a lawyer could help you leave?" Landon chuckled and before she saw his hand move, her face bloomed in pain as he hit her. She felt something warm run down her face as she cried out in pain as Landon yanked her to her feet and dragged her over to the kitchen bench before slamming her head twice onto the cool marble. Pain radiated through her skull as her world spun in circles. Landon smashed her face into the bench again and held it there as red blood spilled all over the drawing of Chase and her baby. "Please Landon." She could hardly breathe as his giant hand held her down. She sobbed as her face felt like it had been run over by a tractor. "Aaron comes hold her." Charlotte squirmed under Landon's hand as he pulled her up by the hair before throwing her over to Aaron, who locked her arms behind her and stepped on her toes painfully to stop her from moving. Charlotte watched in horror as Landon moved over to the sink and dumped the book and the last few pictures of her baby in. "No, Landon, please no. They are the last pictures I have of her." Landon chuckled as she squirmed in Aaron's arms as he set fire to the very last piece of her soul. "No." She cried out in pain as the pictures went up in smoke. She tried to get out of the hold she was in and couldn't move. She threw her body around as smoke filled the air and tears flowed down her face. The pain in her face was nothing compared to the pain in her heart and it felt like losing her baby all over again. Eventually, Aaron let go on her and she fell onto the floor, not caring about the pain radiating through her knees. She felt Landon looking down at her and when she looked up; she cried out in pain as his fists rained down on her face. She wasn't sure when she ended up on her back trying to protect her face however, someone held her hands above her head as Landon rained his fists down on her broken body. Her voice was sore from screaming, and she tried to fight him. She knew she was bleeding, but from where she wasn't sure. It was hard to see out of both eyes and her face felt numb all over. "You thought you could leave me. You thought I would let you leave." Landon spat on her broken face as his body heaved with every breath he took. His eyes were cynical as he smiled down at her. "Please no more." She begged as the taste of copper filled her mouth with his next fist. "Oh, Charlotte, my little whore. We are just getting started. Aaron go get the bat." Charlotte's eyes widened in fear as her hands were finally free and she tried to claw at Landon's face, but he was just too heavy. Landon stood up, and Charlotte took that as her chance to kick him in the balls. Her foot made contact as Landon roared and hunched over in pain. Charlotte tried to scramble up and yelled out in pain as she grabbed her ribs. She stood up and took two steps away from Landon, still hunched over when she felt pain like no other radiate along the left side of her body as she heard a crack. She fell to the floor again as Landon roared out in fury. "I fucking told you not to touch her, only I do. Give me that fucking bat and get out of my sight before I decide to use it on you, you fucking piece of shit." He yelled out but Charlotte was in too much pain as Aaron ran out of the house leaving her along with the devil. "Now Charlotte what to do with you?" Charlotte looked up and could barely see Landon through her swollen eyes. "Please Landon, no more. I promise I'll be good. I'll do anything you ask. We can have a baby now. We can get married tomorrow please no more." She knew he was smiling as her eyes stayed focused on the bat. "Anything Charlotte?" He questioned, and she nodded her head quickly despite the pain that shot through her skull. "Very well. Hold out your right hand." He asked and Charlotte didn't hesitate and thrusted her right hand forward as he chuckled. "Oh, Charlotte, if only you were this obedient all the time." Charlotte knew what was coming, but if it stopped her from any more pain, it was a minor sacrifice. Charlotte let her mind and body disappear to happier memories as Landon bought the bat down on her painting hand. She screamed when she heard bone crack under his powerful hand and sobbed as she clutched it to her chest and cried. Her body ached all over and she wasn't sure where all the blood on her face was coming from. She knew her body would be covered in bruises, but it was over and she let out a painful sigh. "Oh, Charlotte we aren't finished yet." Charlotte looked up and cried out when he grabbed her broken hand and pulled it behind her until she heard a pop. "Please, you said no more." She sobbed as her arm fell to her side at a weird angle. Charlotte tried to stand up, but her world spun as dark edges blurred the sides of her vision. "I never said that sweetheart." True terror filled her heart as she scrambled away from Landon who undid the buttons on his shirt. "Please no, not now please." Charlotte kept scrambling back until her back hit a wall, and Landon stalked towards her. "Take your clothes of Charlotte." He demanded, and she shook her head. She had given him enough. She had given him his pound of flesh but this. No, she would break beyond repair and he knew it. With strength she didn't know she had, she pushed herself onto her feet, ignoring the pain that shot through her whole body like lightening. Clutching her dislocated arm, she kicked Landon in the balls again and watched as he fell to the floor. Not wasting another minute, she took off towards the front. However, she didn't get far as Landon grabbed her ankle as her already broken face met the tiled floor again. She screamed out in pain as she kicked her foot backwards and heard Landon yell in pain and release her ankle. Charlotte wasted no time as she scrambled to her feet and raced towards the door. She quickly grabbed the bat that was sitting on the island bench and looked behind her to see Landon getting up with blood running down his face. "I will kill him and his whole fucking family if you walk out that door. I will do it so painfully and slowly and I will make you sit and watch it as I skin them fucking alive. You walk out that door Charlotte and you have killed them the same way you killed the baby." He yelled, and Charlotte froze. She froze as she was standing by the island bench with the bat in her hand, struggling to get air into her lungs. Her vision was fading in and out and she was having a hard time staying awake. "You leave and they are fucking dead." Charlotte shook her head as the adrenaline was fading, and proper pain set in. She was terrified not only for herself but for Chase. She knew Landon was coming closer, but it was hard to see him. She could barely see anything. She saw a hand reach out towards her, and without thinking, she swung. She swung the bat as hard as she could, not knowing where she was swinging and heard a crack as the bat contacted something hard. Through her tunnel vision, she saw the hand fall before a loud thump landed on the floor. Not wanting to waste another second, she dropped the bat and ran out the front door. No-one stopped her, and no one yelled out to her as her bare feet ran for her life across the gravel driveway. Charlotte didn't even remember her shoes being removed as she sobbed as she yanked the giant iron gate open with 1 arm and ran into the night. She didn't have her phone or bag and she knew she wasn't safe. She ran until she saw a taxi and almost jumped out in front of it. She quickly jumped inside, not bother to check if someone was already in it. "Drive, drive please drive." She yelled at the taxi driver, who looked back at her and gasped. "Miss, I need to take you to the hospital." The taxi driver took off and Charlotte slumped in the back as her vision went black for a second. "No, no hospital. He will find me." Her body was shaking, and she felt so cold as she clutched her right arm close to her chest. Each breath was a struggle, and she knew she was going into shock. "Miss I really think you need to go to hospital ASPA. You are bleeding heavily." Charlotte's vision went dark again, and she tried to blink behind her thick swollen eyes. "No, please. It's not safe there. Please take me here. I don't have any money, but he will pay the fare" She rattled off Chase's address as that was the only place she could think of. The driver hesitantly agreed, and Charlotte felt herself relax a little. She sobbed the entire way there as the driver tried to convince her to go to the hospital. When they finally arrived, Charlotte jumped out the car and rushed to the door, but before she could knock, she hunched over and vomited up lunch and blood in Chase's flower garden. She weakly knocked on the door, but no one came. She cried as her heartbeat wildly as she heard a door open as panic rose as she thought Landon had found her. Being driven by pure fear and the need to be safe, Charlotte prayed as she tried to door handle and cried out when the door opened. She walked into the house and followed the sound of voices chatting happily as she tried to blinding walk through the house. She could see a lounge through her slit vision and leaned against it as the sound of a plate hit the floor, shattering into a thousand pieces like her. She heard a cry as she raised her head and through her limited vision saw a flash of ginger. "Help me." She cried out before collapsing to the floor. With the words safe, safe, safe running through her head.