In Another's Eyes

Chapter 8

Katniss

I smile in the mirror as I finish getting ready to go meet Peeta. It's been six months since we met and tonight, I have something very important to tell him. I carefully pin up my hair and straitened my dress. I turn to walk out of the bathroom when I see Gale standing there in the doorway.

"Where do you think you're going?" Gale asks.

"Out," I say. "And I don't know when I will be back. I might not even come home tonight." He grabs my wrist hard as I reach for my keys.

"Katniss, who is he," he asks. "And don't lie to me and say there isn't another man. I'm not blind."

"What makes you think there's another guy?" I ask him.

"Because I saw you two," he says. "I came home early the other night and found you two together in your room. He was in your bed, Katniss. I want to know who is trying to take my wife away from me."

"You pushed me away a long time ago," I say. "Long before I ever started seeing him."

"You won't even deny it!" He says. "Have you no shame, Katniss?"

"Oh, like you're such a saint!" I say. "I know that you've had your own string of lovers. Glimmer and Madge and the others. They were some of my best friends from college. Why do you think I don't talk to them anymore? They told me, Gale. There isn't any love here anymore."

"So what?" He asks. "Are you saying you don't love me anymore."

"I never did!" I say. "I was twenty. I didn't really know what wanted because I was still a kid." He lets go of my wrist and slaps me across the face.

"Why the hell did you do this to me!" He asks. "I loved you! I've loved you for years. And now you are telling me that I wasted five years on you." I feel him press me to the wall and look up at him angrily.

"If you cared about me, you would've seen how unhappy I've been for three and a half years Gale," I say.

"Do you love him?" He asks. I look down, not answering. "Do you love him?!" He demands.

"Yes," I say. "Yes, I love him." He looks angrily down at me before pressing me hard against the wall. I feel his lips press against mine harshly. I'm pinned against the wall harder so I can't move.

"What is his name?" He asks.

"You don't deserve to know," I hiss and he bites my lip hard, making me cry out. He picks me up and before I understand what's happening, he has me in our bedroom, pinned to the bed. He glares down at me and starts taring the dress off me. "Gale, don't do this. Please, this isn't right."

"You're my wife," he growls as he starts undressing himself. "This isn't wrong. What you've been doing for what is it? Six months now? Yeah, that's what isn't right you ungrateful bitch." He tears off the last of my clothing and flips me on my stomach. "I can't even stand to look at your face."

I feel tears in my eyes, knowing what's going to happen. I always told myself I would be the one to fight back if this happened to me. That I would get away from my attacker, who was probably a complete stranger. But right now, I just lie here while he has his way with me. He forces my hips up and I cry into a pillow as he painfully takes me, not even waiting for me to adjust as he hammers into me, holding my hips so hard I know he's leaving dark purple bruises. I cry the whole time, feeling like garbage as Gale treats me as such. He yanks my head up by my hair and growls in my ear as he finishes himself off inside me.

"We'll see how much he wants my sloppy seconds now," he growls. "You'll be too bruised to do anything with your lover tonight." He pulls out of me and shoves me back down. "Go clean yourself up. You make me sick." He grabs his clothes and leaves me shivering on the bed. I slowly get up and go to the bathroom. I turn on the shower and cry as I sit on the floor of it.

I feel dirty. I feel used. Whether it was my choice or not, I just cheated on Peeta. I feel way worse about that than I ever did about cheating on Gale for these past six months. I don't know how I'm going to tell Peeta I'm not coming tonight. I'm just thankful that he didn't know my real secret. I knew it was only a matter of time before he found out about Peeta. I don't want to know what he would have done if he knew the real secret I was keeping from him.

I lift my head as I hear my phone started ringing, knowing it's Peeta on the line. I slowly get up, trying not too hurt myself anymore than I already am. I wrap a towel around my body and pick up my phone.

"Katniss?" I hear him ask when I answer. "Are you okay?" I start crying and he suddenly gets worried. "Katniss, tell me what's wrong?"

"I'm so sorry," I sob.

"Katniss, you're scaring me," he says.

"Gale knows," I cry out. "He caught you here the other night. He doesn't know who you are, but he knows about you."

"Did he hurt you?" He asks. I only cry and he seems to understand. "Katniss, what did he do to you?" He asks.

"He, he," I start shaking. "He just raped me Peeta. I, I think I need to go to the hospital."

"Katniss, is he still there?" He asks and I look out the window to see his car is gone.

"No," I say. "He's gone."

"I'm gonna come get you and take you to the hospital," he says. "Just stay where you are and I will be right there." I nod, even though he can't see it.

"Please don't leave me alone," I say. "Don't hang up on me."

"I won't," he promises. "I'm gonna stay on the line and I'm gonna take you to Delly. She'll take care of you. She'll get you Dr. Montgomery and everything will be just fine."

"Peeta, she can't find out this way," I say.

"I think she already knows Kat," he says. "But that doesn't matter right now. Right now, you need to just stay calm and I will be there in ten minutes. Can you do that for me baby?"

"Yeah," I say. "I'll try." He keeps talking to me but I'm not really listening. Instead, I'm focused on my abdomen. All I can hope right now is that the abuse I just took didn't hurt Peeta's unborn child. The child he still doesn't know about.

(Song of the Chapter: "In the Air Tonight" ~Phil Collins)