god is a woman (arthur shelby.)

eleven.

☾

After the altercation, Rowan hit rock bottom. She wanted to go back home, but remembered she had moved out of her father's house and was staying with Arthur. She couldn't return to his home after what had happened, except for her quick collection of her things followed by running away before he got home. She sat under an archway for the rest of the night, crying and watching the rain. She had never felt so isolated in her entire life.

It had been weeks since her fight with Arthur. She had found herself a job as a seamstress in a tailor shop, making suits for fourteen hours a day. Mariah had offered her a spare bed to sleep in, but Rowan deemed it too risky to be so close to John. She ended up staying in a women's refuge after claiming her abusive husband had given her the boot.

When she travelled between work and home, Rowan didn't dare lift her eyes off the ground. She didn't leave her house for anything other than work as to avoid seeing any of the Peaky Blinders or her father. Grace had come to visit her at one point, thanking Rowan for taking the blame when it came to the undercover work. She was met with a slap in the face from Rowan and then the door being slammed in her face.

For Arthur, Rowan's pleading and begging face was burnt into his memory like the end of a cigarette. He often wondered if she was indeed telling the truth and that Polly really had gotten confused or if she was just an outstanding actress that knew exactly which buttons to press to get the reaction she wanted.  Whatever the reason, he couldn't forget the image of her alluringly deep brown eyes praying for mercy.

Another issue that had arisen for him since their fight was that of his father. Arthur Senior claimed to be a changed man, except no one in his family believed him. No on except Arthur. He was so desperate to have his father back, he'd believe any lie that fell from his lips so longs as he had his old man back in his life.

Arthur was too trusting for his own good. His father had fucked him over, once more. Arthur was left a hollow wreck, the same as every other time he was abandoned by his father.

Rowan was walking home from work in the darkness of the evening. During her route, she had to pass the Garrison but often she avoided peak times as she was going home just after the pub shut. This time however, she'd been allowed to leave work an hour early, meaning it was shutting down time.

As she sped up past the pub, a silhouette of a man caught her eye. He was retching into a puddle just outside the pub, his body contorting as he was sick. She saw Grace in the doorway of the pub shouting at the man, just the sight of her causing Rowan's face to drop. She suddenly realised who he was as the light from inside the pub lit up his face.

"Arthur?" Rowan's mouth opened before her brain could stop her.

"Look who it fucking is!" Arthur shouted hoarsely and pulled himself out of the dirt.

Grace shut the door of the pub and locked up before disappearing off into the fog.

"Just leave him, he's a mess." Grace shouted back to Rowan.

Rowan ignored her and let her go, focusing her attention on Arthur who was now stood up and looking over her short stature.

"Come to fuck me over again have you?" Arthur asked patronisingly, venom taunting his words.

"Let's get you home." She quietly spoke and tried to lead him away.

Arthur slapped her hand away, the noise echoing loudly throughout the empty street.