Chapter Seventy-Four

Chapter Seventy-Four
“Listen, babe, I’m really sorry for laying hands on you again. My anger always gets the best of me,” he apologized, caressing my swollen forehead. 

These were the words that proceeded from his mouth after the torture session. 

Today, as Nelson pounced on me, I felt my life flash before my eyes. For minutes, I begged that he would let go of me, but he didn’t stop.

With each blow, my body felt weakened, and I felt like my breath was about to be taken away from me. If he hadn’t stopped at the moment that he did, I’d have been long gone in the land of the ghosts.

When he saw that I was about to pass out, he quickly sent for a nurse who came in and administered painkillers and meds to me. 

When she walked in, I lay almost lifeless on the couch, stains of blood all over the armrest. 

“She looks so badly battered. Oh my God!” Came the voice of the lady whom I’d suspected to be the nurse, but my eyes were deeply sunken into their sockets that I couldn’t open them.

“I found her by the roadside, and I was so scared that she would lose her life. Whoever perpetrated this act deserves to rot in jail,” Nelson screamed and let out a long sigh.

I was stunned in my helpless state. He dared to lie! This man was a beast! I thought.

I could barely see what happened around me but I felt a warm towel being pressed against the bruised and swollen parts of my face, hands, and body, and each time I came in contact with her touch, I writhed in pain. 

My eyes gushed out hot tears and my body’s temperature increased. 

“She has been through hell. I feel so sorry for her,” the nurse said again, and Nelson let out a long sigh yet again.

“My heart breaks at the sight of her, but now that she's here, we have to help her,” he added, his voice laced with emotions that felt almost real. He was such an actor and a deceiver. 

I felt her apply some liquid with something which felt like cotton wool on my wounds and it did hurt a little. She proceeded to dress my wounds and administer some injections which I didn't know what they were for. For a minute, I felt like a lab rat but I stayed still on the spot like a sacrificial lamb because running away wasn't an option. 

“That’s enough aftercare for now. Here are her meds, when she comes around later, kindly ensure that she takes them. They will help to relieve her of the body pains and prevent any possible body fevers.”

“Thank you so much Mrs Humphrey, you have no idea how helpful you’ve been today. Thank you a bunch! I owe you a lot.”

Nelson went on and on, thanking the lady as she exited the house and then he shut the door quietly behind her and came to sit next to me on the couch where I stayed calm, my body now feeling some relief. 

All of a sudden, the ravenous beast that dealt me the heavy trauma that I would have to live with all my life, turned into a lamb, warm and hearty.

Right by the side of the couch where he sat, I could hear him apologize a million times, blaming his action on the devil and his untamed temper.

I thought about myself and how much suffering I'd inflicted on her. It was always said that a leopard could never change its spots, and truly I'd come to see this in full display. 

“Let me alone,” I cried, pushing his hands away from me as they irritated the very core of my being. 

“I mean it. I'm truly sorry.”

His apologies stung me like the sting of a bee and that made me want to leave his house immediately. 

“I want to go home, get me a ride,” I muttered, trying to pull myself up from the couch.

“Home? No, please, you can't leave now. Mrs Humphrey says you need a lot of rest,” he responded passionately, but I wasn't going to be fooled because I knew it was all a show. 

“I want to go,” I cried more. 

“Alright baby, I'll take you home but that’ll be when I'm sure that you're strong enough. You're in such a vulnerable state right now and letting you stay all by yourself is dangerous, or don't you think so?” he asked, persuading me to see reasons with him.

“I'm much better, I will manage or go over to my aunt’s,” I pressed further, my eyes now opened widely, and staring straight at my legs, to avoid eye contact with him.

“Your aunt? No baby, that's not possible. What would you say happened to you that led to these injuries and swelling? You will get me into real trouble if you go over to hers. Just let me take care of you and make up for the ill treatment. Pleeee…aaa…sssseeee…”

“Yes Nelson, she wouldn't blink twice before calling the cops on you because you've caused me so much pain! Yet you said you loved me! You promised to protect me. This was not the plan, Nelson! This wasn’t it!” I said in a shaky tone, sobbing amidst my words.

He got off the couch in silence and my heart rate went up because that move felt familiar, but as I fastened my eyes on him, and set my wounded arms for self-defence, he did contrary to what I thought. 

Nelson went on his knees, slowly, and put both his palms together in a plea position, making me instantly discard the harmful thoughts.

At this point, I'd lost faith in him and only saw him as nothing but an abuser, hence the assumption.

“I’m down on my knees,” he muttered, eyes buried low.

“I wish you could see through my heart, you’ll realize that all I have for you are good intentions, and no thoughts to harm you. It’s just that you really get on my nerves sometimes, you get too emotional and rationalize situations wrongly and in that moment, I quickly lose my temper in an attempt to correct the misconstrue.”

“Wow! Good for you then, but please get me out of here and never look for me again because you'll never see me, ever!” I said, now sitting up and packing my bag.

The room was still littered with the presents I got for his birthday but I didn't bother about them anymore, he could do whatever he liked with them. 

“Now, you listen good, baby. Do not try to outsmart me. I have tried to be calm and appease you properly but you're not even trying to see reasons with me! I won't plead with you anymore. Henceforth, you'll live with me, and I will take care of you. Forget about working, your business doesn't yield that much profit anyway. I'll provide for you fully, and take proper care of you.”

“What?” I asked in utter disbelief. 

“Yes, baby! Call your aunt now and tell her you now live with your boyfriend. You would do the same if you were married already, so there's no big deal about it.”

“What about my daughter? My pastry shop? My business? My life?” I panicked hard.

“Last time I checked, you wanted your daughter out of our affairs so bad, and now that I've granted your long-time wish, you still complain? What's wrong with you, May?” he asked angrily and walked out on me into the bedroom, leaving me all by myself in pain and sorrow. 

“This was going to be another long episode of living in bondage,” I mumbled, bursting into tears.