Between Love & Family

Chapter 17

~ This scene contains graphic content and be disturbing for some ~

Amara's Story

I was 16, born and raised in Mexico City I had led a very sheltered yet well provided for life. My dad was never home, always off doing business of one sort or another. My mother was my best friend, it was mostly just me and her and I like it that way. She made sure I never wanted for anything, made sure I never felt alone or unloved. 

As I grew I noticed my father and his business partners taking more and more interest in me, as naive as I was I thought it was a step in the right direction between me and my father. I thought he wanted to get closer to his family....to his daughter.

One day I was coming home from school when I met a boy on the road, he told me my father had sent him out to walk me back. He was cute and the impression I had gotten from him as we talked on the way back to the house was one of a sweet and caring young man and I was smitten with him. 

Little did I know that my father sending him down to walk me home was just the first step in his plan. When we reached my home there were many cars parked outside and it struck me as off because my father was never one to bring work home with him.

We made our way inside and my father greeted me at the door, a wide smile plastered on his face as he pulled me in for an awkward hug. It had been years since my father had hugged me and I knew at that moment something was going on. There were at least a dozen men in my home that I had never seen before and I scanned the room for my mother, I found her sitting on the couch with a drink in her hand and a solemn expression on her face that chilled me to the bone.

My father introduced Javier's father as Antonio and inquired about my walk back with Javier. I smiled and said only good things as I knew my father would want to hear, my words seemingly making him and Antonio both very happy. He told me he was glad that I had gotten on with Javier so well as he was to be my future husband. 

I was shocked, to say the least, but at that time I never imagined my family would place me in any situation that would come to harm me so I kept my smile on my face and agreed to what my father asked of me. I should have known by my mother's actions that this was not in my best interest.

The weeks that followed were a whirlwind of wedding plans and business merger contracts, I was fawned over like a doll being made over for my future family and the upcoming wedding. I was expected to agree to whatever they wanted and do it with a smile on my face and as an obedient daughter, I do just that. I told myself this couldn't be so bad, Javier was good looking and seemed like he would be a sweet and doting husband, I could be doing much worse...right?

My wedding day came and I was on autopilot doing all the things I had been groomed for over the past few weeks. I was a nervous wreck but I got through it and after the ceremony I was even able to relax and enjoy the reception, dancing the night away with Javier and enjoying the camaraderie between the two families. At the end of the night, I was ushered into a car and off to my honeymoon, never knowing this was the last time I would see my home or my family.

The next day we were flown to the states and to a beach house in California, I thought that this was the start of a happy life with my husband...I was wrong. Our first night alone as husband and wife I planned a romantic dinner on the deck our beach house overlooking the ocean, excited to spend some get to know Javier better and preparing myself to be with a man physically for the first time. 

I heard him come in and I rushed to the deck, excited to see the reaction he would have to the night I had planned for us. As he came out on the deck he looked over the table, the romantic candles I had lit and the dinner plated and ready for use on the table.

He came over to me and I reached for his hand taking it in mine and expressing my hopes for the evening. He looked over the table one more time before grabbing me by my hair and dragging me through the house by my hair and throwing me on the bed. I was in complete shock, I didn't know what I had done to make him so angry and I had never seen this side of him before. 

The wild look in his eye scared me as I started to apologize profusely, even though I had no idea what I had done wrong. "You think I love you? Do you think I wanted this? No bitch, you were an obstacle I have to bear to further my family business but since I am stuck with you now you need to learn your place and that is under me."

His words hit me hard and I tried to run, he grabbed me before I could and backhanded me so hard I landed back on the bed. Climbing on top of me he forced my hands over my head and held them there with one hand while pulling down my panties with the other. 

No matter how I fought I couldn't get free of him as he forced himself inside of me. There was no tenderness, no love....just the searing pain of him forcing himself into me over and over again. When he was done he simply got up, threw a towel at me and walked out.

I made my way into the bathroom and ran myself a bath, he had ripped me in his roughness and I was bleeding profusely but I knew after what had just happened he wouldn't care. As I sat in the hot water I realized just who my father had sold me too and my tears dried up. There was no room to feel sorry for myself, my life was going to be one of survival and I could see no escape.

As time went on and we moved into our own home, Javier taking control of expanding his family business in the states I made it my mission to stay quiet and stay out of his way. I kept the house spotless and made sure to have dinner on the table every night but no matter what I did he always found something to be mad at me about and he would beat me for it. 

He took care not to leave marks where people could see and I knew better than to say anything. As the year wore on I witnessed so many atrocities at the hands of my so-called husband. He was a cool and calculated murderer with no respect for life or anything that wasn't for him or his will.

When I found out I was pregnant with you Alana I was scared, so scared of what he would do to me or to you and that's when I knew I had to leave. I began stealing as much money as I could without him noticing and hiding it when I had gotten about $20,000 I knew it was time. 

When I made dinner one night I laced his food with sleeping pills and waited for him to pass out. I packed as many clothes as I could, grabbed the money I had stolen and took him car...driving as fast and far as I dared. I left him for me and I left him for you. I knew I would spend my life running but as long as I kept you safe that's all that mattered.