Love Is A Battlefield [2] (T. Shelby/OC) BWWM✅

Chapter 38 - Fractured Relationships

It was a few hours later that Tommy returned to Arrow House. He ran upstairs to his and Anna's shared bedroom as he found her dressed in a pair of black pants and one of his dress-shirts, which hung loosely on her lithe body.

She stood by their window and was staring out of it in deep thought, a smoking cigarette hanging between her fingers.

"Anna" Tommy says as he made his way toward her.

"Do you know what the world thinks my greatest sin in this life is, Tommy?" she asks him, "the colour of my skin" she adds as she turned to face him with tearful eyes as Tommy felt his anger bubble up when he catches sight of her bruised face. "Being born black is what the world views as my biggest sin" she adds, "and yet today, I had someone killed" she adds as Tommy approached her cautiously.

"You're safe now, love–"

"No" Anna shakes her head, "I'm not safe as long I'm alive" she adds, "today I finally realized that there are tons of people who want me dead" she adds, "people who are supposed be my family. My blood" she adds.

"What do you mean?" Tommy asks her in confusion.

"My great-aunts are Oddfellows" she reveals as Tommy's eyes widen at this, "and they wanted the priest and Charles to kill me" she adds.

"Charles was there?" Tommy asks her in shock.

"And he left me with something to remember him by" she says bitterly as she lifts the dress-shirt she wore to show him her bruised side as Tommy closed the gap between them as he tenderly touched her bruised side, clenching his jaw tightly as he does.

The fury in his eyes isn't something that Anna will forget. She wishes that she could feel anger too but right now all she feels is numb.

"What do you want us to do?" Tommy asks her in a whisper, "tell me what to do and I'll do it" he adds as their gazes lock briefly as she removed his hand from her side and lowered the dress-shirt to cover herself again.

"I don't know" Anna admits in a broken whisper, "I just – I don't know anymore Tommy" she adds in a defeated tone and a whimper as tears slid down her face as Tommy gently cupped her face and pressed his forehead against hers, wiping her tears away as he did as Anna fought with everything inside her not to flinch and recoil at his touch as she recalled Charles touching her.

⚜️Love Is A Battlefield⚜️

"Felipe" Anna comments as she made her way toward him as he stood outside his grandmother's hospital room.

"Anna" he says, eyes wide in shock at seeing her there as he embraced her in relief as she stiffened a bit at his touch. "I'm so happy that you're safe" he adds, sounding relieved as he drew back from their embrace and gently cupped her face, looming sadly at her bruise face.

He felt like he'd failed her.

Anna could see his internal struggle and offers him a half-smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes as if to confirm to him that she's okay, even when he can clearly tell that she isn't.

"How is she?" she asks as her eyes glisten with tears.

Tommy told her that Celeste was in the hospital after suffering a heart attack when hearing about her kidnap and she told him that she'd go see her, despite his protests about her still needing some healing.

"Still sleeping" he replies with a sad sigh. "But, I think hearing your voice would make her very happy" he adds as Anna nods at this as she made her way inside Celeste's bedroom where she finds one of Tommy's men seated in the corner, reading a newspaper.