Warning: Domestic Violence
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6 December 1993 – Monday
Danville, Kentucky
For three and a half years, Angellica lived in relative peace.
She went through birthdays of her children; Azhure was now five and had started at Jennie Rogers Elementary in October. Caelum had started day-care a few months earlier. Both children were thriving and full of life.
Angellica was enjoying being a mother and housewife.
She barely saw Damien or Eliot as they were away so much of the time. Every few months Damien was home for a week and the time together was pleasant enough unless the mood suited Damien and she would still get a thrashing. She had been safe enough for a while. It had been 6 months since the last violent occurrence. Damien had been home a week earlier, and Angellica felt mildly confident that he was getting tired of hitting her. They had made love and he professed his love her as she did for him. He and Eliot had left on the Saturday before.
She was pleased to note that she was genuinely happy.
However, as things do, they go wrong and twist to suit.
Angellica had dropped Caelum off at day-care for a few hours and had gone to her mother's. Since Eliot’s impromptu employment with Damien, she had managed to bond with her mother again without his influence.
She arrived at the house at ten in the morning, and after calling out to Charlotte, and not hearing her call back, Angellica went looking.
What she found made her sick to her stomach.
Charlotte was dead in her bath.
Her wrists cut from wrist to elbow.
Charlotte was dead in a cold red bath.
She had been there for a while.
She was grey.
The smell was putrid.
After emptying the contents of her stomach into the toilet, Angellica called the ambulance. When they arrived, they found Angellica sitting on the front step of the house. Holding a cold towel to her face. One of the ambulance officers sat with her while the policeman asked her questions. Charlotte’s body was taken away for a post mortem and Angellica went to collect Caelum from day-care at lunchtime.
She was numb. She floated around in a haze for three days.
Then the phone call from Oliver arrived.
“Hello?” She said into the phone. Caelum sat on floor playing with his blocks and looked up. Angellica hadn’t spoken aloud in a few hours and her voice gave him reason to look up.
“Mrs. Delaney.” Said the voice.
“Yes.” She said, looking down at Caelum, he grinned at her. She smiled back.
“Angellica, its Oliver.”
Angellica stomach dropped and she sat down. Nothing came forth.
“Angellica, are you there?” Oliver asked.
“Yes, I’m here, how are you?” She queried finally.
“I am good Angellica; it has been a while since we talked.”
“Indeed it has. Am I correct in assuming that I need to come in and see you?” Three and a half years since she’d seen his face.
Oliver laughed, it sound ironic, and terribly familiar. “Yes, we are going to need to talk.” He replied.
YOU ARE READING
