Trying Not To Love You

Part Thirty

Chapter Thirty

Sonny held her tightly, his fury and anger unending and on so many levels, but she was shaking, she was terrified, and for this moment he had to think of her, she was his only concern. He’d worried she’d push him away as she broke down, but she’d fallen against him as the tears fell and all he could do was hold her, the fingers of one hand buried in her hair, his lips on her forehead. If he could take away this he would, and as he held her he knew that no matter what happened to Oldbury, nothing would ever change the harsh reality of what he’d done to the woman who sobbed in his arms.

When she calmed herself, she stepped back slightly, her eyes dropped to the floor. Sonny reached out and tilted her chin, forced Martha to look at him, “don’t ever be ashamed, don’t ever hide...you are better than that, ok?”

Sighing she moved away from him, into the kitchen. He followed and stood watching her as she pulled a bottle of red wine from the cupboard and started to open.

                “I saw him...beating someone up.”

He pricked his ears up at that, nodding, encouraging her to talk. She filled two glasses and handed him one, then they both moved back to the lounge, sitting together on the sofa.

It was a long time since Martha had revisited those days, and even more poignant was the fact that she’d never vocalised the hell that the last night with Scott had been. Calmly, almost serenely, she told him all that had happened.

Scott had spoiled her, dinner, luxury weekends away, impromptu gifts, it was all back in the time when she’d been naive and didn’t realise that his actions were fuelled by anything other than his devotion to her. He flattered her, treated her like a princess, and that made up for any ‘blips’ in their relationship. On one particular day she’d been excited, Scott was talking about taking her away and she’d seen a deal on the internet for a long weekend in New York. He was always busy, so she wasn’t sure he’d agree to it, but she really wanted to go...and it was cheap.

She’d called to his office, he ran a car dealership in a nearby town, but he wasn’t there, so she drove home past his father’s house. That was when she spotted his car, parked around by one of the outhouses. She knew she’d deep down she’d always been aware that there may be a side to him she’d not seen, but to see him shirt off booting absolute lumps out of an unconscious man was more than she could cope with.

She’d escaped home before he saw her there and tried to process what she’d seen, but the more time passed the more terrified she became. Eventually she called him, he was laughing, ‘at the golf course’; life went on after almost killing someone.

He came to the farm straight from the golf course, euphoric at winning, he wanted her to go out with him, but she couldn’t face it. Her father had been sat in the lounge, Aunt Lucy was out, and she’d gone into the kitchen.

Scott had followed her, “come on, I want you to come out with me.”

She shook her head, “I’m tired. Tomorrow maybe?”

His laugh had been scary, “I’ll let it ride this time, but you’re my wife to be Martha, and if I want you out with me you’ll be there. Do you hear me?”

She’d never said no to any of his plans before, and she didn’t know whether it was the adrenaline of earlier in the day, or whether he truly was THAT angry with her for saying no, after all he’d never been aggressive with her in the past, and she’d only worn his engagement ring for a few weeks, but something changed in that moment.