Your Healing Touch

Chapter 25

With her eyes closed, she massaged her temple then said, "One day, when I came home from school he...he told me when I turned 18 we were going to move and get married."

What the fuck?!

The ring! That's why he sent the ring on her birthday. He still wants to marry her. Everything was starting to make sense now.

"He kissed me and told me that it was a taste of what was to come when we were married. I knew then that I couldn't stay much longer. I had no definite plan on where I would go and school wasn't over yet so I packed during the remaining time and prepared as best as I could to leave."

Watching Jasmine closely, it was easy to see she was no longer there with me in her kitchen, she was back with Charles, reliving those memories.

"Eventually, I had no choice but to run. The decision was made for me one day when Charles was drunk. He never drank before then, so I was terrified what that could mean. I stayed in my room all day, away from him. I had hoped he would be so drunk he wouldn't bother me but...I wasn't that lucky. Late that night, he burst through my door with a bone chilling, sinister smile. Right away I knew what he planned to do, but I wasn't going to give in without a fight."

"Hey babygirl," she imitated. She closed her eyes then shared, "My mom used to call me that. It provided comfort until he ruined the endearment. Now I can't stand to hear it."

Her voice started out steady, regardless that tears escaped with each word, "He stumbled toward me, and told me he was tired of waiting. He said I was practically a woman, that I was teasing him and I deserved it."

I struggled to stay in my seat. I knew this was unspeakably painful for her, to recount her time with Charles. I didn't blame her for waiting so long to tell me.

Digging my nails into my palms helped distract me and root me to my seat. Jasmine fought through her tears to finish.

"If he hadn't been so drunk, I wouldn't have been able to fight him off, but I did."

Breathing a silent sigh of relief, I relaxed slightly.

"He got way too close. Even in his drunken state he was much stronger than me. He nearly succeeded but I...I grabbed the lamp on the night stand beside my bed and smashed it against his head. He went down immediately, while blood from where I'd hit him began soaking the sheets on my bed. I was terrified that I might have killed him, but I never checked to see if he was actually dead. I just left him there.
I had planned on leaving when my fall semester started at school, but I could no longer afford to stay under the same roof as Charles. So, even though it was only the beginning of summer, I took the money I'd hidden, grabbed my clothes, and left. And I never looked back."

She finally met my gaze with her tear filled one.

"Yes, I was scared I'd thought I killed him, but at the same time, part of me hoped I did. Does that make me a bad person?" She asked looking tormented.

"Not at all honey. I want to kill him myself, and I'm sworn to protect and serve. He's the one who is a bad person. He preyed on you when you were a child, molested you, and attempted to rape you. I don't blame you at all for how you felt."

"Well he does," she bit out.

"How do you know?" I questioned.

If that dumbass Dr. Myles had said one word to Jasmine I swear I'd kill him along with his step brother. Momentarily, I was stunned when she came around the table to sit on my lap. She laid her head on my chest and shuddered. Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around her.

"Charles confronted me after work today--"

"He what?"

Dr. Myles had been a distraction, that much was clear, but had he been a part of the plot to get Jasmine alone?