Broken (a Niall Horan love story)

Chapter 54

*TIGGER WARNING*

***Navaeh's P.O.V.***

I paced nervously about my room as my eyes darted between the clock sitting on my dresser and the bags that were sitting on my bed with my clothes and supplies in them. Only forty-five more minutes until Niall would be there to pick me up and my mum was running late. I was on edge; James was leaving me alone that day because he was passed out cold on the couch and I think he had realized that he had fucked up. There was no way that my mum wouldn't notice the bruises and cuts on me (even though he had told me to cover them up before passing out).

My ears immediately picked up the sound of the front door opening and then closing. The loud creaking was hard to miss. Soon, there were footsteps coming up the stairs and each one made me more and more nervous. A knock on my door made me jump even though I was expecting it and I bit my nails as I walked towards the door. "Navaeh, honey, can I come in?" my mum's honey-like voice called from the other side. Quickly, I unlocked the door, pulled her inside, and then shut and locked it once again. "Navaeh, what's wrong, why are you acting so-?" before she could even finish her questioning I had turned towards her and she gasped.

"Mum, you have to get out of here," I rushed out the words even though it really didn't seem like she was listening to me; she was too caught up in gaping at me as she reached out and touched my cheek just below my black eye. She looked absolutely mortified.

"Navaeh, who did this to you?" she questioned with that same horror written all over her features. She was so concerned and looked like she was about ready to rip someone's head off after getting my answer.

"James," I told her which made her eyes widen in the matter of seconds. It felt so good to actually say it; it felt so damn good to admit it to her, the one who I had really been hiding it from all of these years. I knew what it would do to her to know, and I was still dreading what would come next. Niall knew about the abuse as well, but there was so much more that he didn't know that would probably make him absolutely repulsed by me.

"Oh my gosh," she gasped as she covered her mouth and a small but noticeable change in her words occurred, "w-when?"

"All this week," I replied as calmly as possible even though it was tearing me apart to see one of the strongest women I knew start to fall apart in front of me. "Not just now, though; it's been going on for a while."

A small sob left her mouth, "no." She shook her head and walked over to my bed where she sat down and covered her face with her hands. "My baby," she whispered almost to herself, "oh god, I left you alone with him all of this time." It was as if things were fitting together in her mind; I could almost see her putting the pieces together. All of his odd behavior and all of the times that I had hidden away in my room or tried to cover myself up for no reason. "Did he... did he touch you?" she wondered with eyes that were already starting to become puffy and red. I understood her implications right away and nodded as I hung my head. "Oh my god, Navaeh," she cried, "no; please tell me this is just some sick prank."

"No, mum," I started to sniffle along with her. Suddenly, she stood from her spot on the bed and pulled me into her arms. I had always lived for hugs from my mum but this was different from the others. There was a feeling in the pit of my stomach that urged me to hug her back as tightly as I possibly could and not let go. It came to an end eventually, though, and she shoved her hand into the left pocket of her suit pants in order to pull out her phone and press it into my hand.

"I want you to call the police, Navaeh," she instructed and I looked at her with wide eyes as she started to walk towards the door of my room. She unlocked it and was about to walk out before I spoke up.