⚠️MAJOR TRIGGER WARNING⚠️
- DOMESTIC ABUSE AND NONCONSENSUAL TOUCHING.
September 21, 2020.
Never in my life did I think I'd be standing face to face with the man who made my girlfriends life a living hell.
And I sure as hell didn't think I'd be standing face to face with him in her driveway.
My whole body is tense and my jaw is locked and firm. I want to punch him so bad. I want to make him feel all of the pain he made Rory feel for years.
I never thought I could have so much built up hatred for a person I've never met, but the guy standing in front me deserves all the karma brought to him and so much more.
He ruined Rory's life. He treated her as if she was an object rather than a person and he rejected his own daughter.
A little girl.
A perfect, beautiful, smart, curious little girl who deserves all of the love in the world and so much more.
And he refuses to give that to her.
"I was just driving through the neighborhood, thought I'd stop by." Ashton smirks, shoving his hands in his pockets as I stand in front of him, completely in defense mode.
I'm so glad Ivy isn't out here to see this.
"Bullshit." I spit, "I've seen you sitting across the street on and off for weeks now." I point to his car parked in the same spot it always is across the street, letting him know that I know It's been him sitting over there.
"Ah." Ashton nods, the stupid smirk still on his face. "So you noticed?"
"Of course I noticed." I scoff, throwing my hands up in the air. "You've been stalking my girlfriend."
"I'm not stalking." Ashton shakes his head, "I'm just simply watching."
"It's stalking." I clarify, "You sit there and watch my girlfriend and our- her daughter for hours."
"Your girlfriend is a piece of shit." Ashton spits, "Why do you think I left her? All she was good for was the sex."
"Don't fucking talk about her like that." I growl, my nostrils flaring as I try and contain my anger.
"Arry?"
I shoot my head over to the front door, mentally cursing to myself as Ivy stands there, a frown on her face.
"Ivy baby, go back inside." I say sternly, shifting to move in front of her out of
protection. "Go upstairs with mumma."
Ivy nods, shutting the front door. I sigh in relief, stepping closer to Ashton.
"I'm giving you thirty seconds to get in that car and leave." I poke his chest, "If you don't leave, I'm calling the cops."
"For what? Trying to see my child?" Ashton chuckles, shaking his head. "You're a dense man, you know that?"
"You have no legal rights!" I growl, shoving him away. "You're not on the birth certificate."
That shuts him up.
"Tell Rory she'll be hearing from my lawyer."
And then he's gone.
I watch as he hops into his car and drive off. The anger within me is still boiling. I need to call Alice asap.
All I can think about is what could've happened if I wasn't here. He obviously wasn't expecting me to be here. I could tell by his body language he was shocked.
If I wasn't here, they could've gotten hurt. I'm supposed to protect them and I can't even do that.
"Harry? Baby what are you doing?" Rory's voice comes from behind me, and it's then that I realize I've just been standing in her driveway, staring out onto the street.
"Ashton was here." Is all I say, turning around and picking the groceries up off the ground.
I hear Rory's breath hitch and lead her back into the house with my free hand.
"Are you sure it was him?" Rory asks quietly as I unpack the groceries and place them on her kitchen counter.
"It was him." I nod, "He was talking to me and something just- I don't know. Something just clicked. I knew it was him, and then he confirmed it."
"What did he say?" Rory whispers, standing close to me I roll my hands into a fist.
"Nothing true." I clear my throat, glancing over at Rory with tears in my eyes.
"Hey, what's wrong." Rory frowns, releasing my hands and taking them into her own.
"He could've hurt y'all." I whisper, biting my lip as tears flow down my cheeks.
"But he didn't." Rory assures, "He didn't because you were here."
"But I almost wasn't!" I sob, "If I had shown up just a few seconds later, I wouldn't have been here in time."
Rory takes me into her arms, hugging me as tight as she can as I sob into her shoulder.
You don't realize just how much someone means to them, until you almost lose them.
Maybe I'm overreacting, maybe he wouldn't have done anything, but he could've. He has the ability to. He gets angry fast, and when he does get angry, he doesn't think. I got that vibe from him when I spoke to him.
"Harry, look at me." Rory says sternly, lifting my head off her shoulder and holding her face in my hands. "We're okay."
"Ivy came out when he was in the driveway." I whisper, "I was so scared. I told her to go back inside and wait upstairs with you."
"She told me a guy was outside, but I assumed it was someone you knew." Rory sighs, running a hand through my hair, "She's okay, though. Not even phased."
"Good." I let out a breath, sniffling as Rory wipes the tears from my eyes, "I'm sorry."
Rory shakes her head. "Don't apologize."
"After y'all eat, I'm calling Alice." I say, my tone flat as Rory looks at me concerned.
"That's fine." Rory nods, "Just- let me in on the conversation too? This is my problem. I should be involved.
"Of course." I gulp, tucking a piece of hair behind Rory's ear. "Are you feeling okay?"
"I feel fine." Rory smiles, giggling lightly, "Ivy hasn't thrown up in a few hours, so I think we're in the clear."
"No- I meant about everything going on with Ashton." I sigh, "But it's good that my little leaf is feeling better."
"Oh. I don't really know how I feel." Rory breathes, "I definitely want him away from us, but I don't think we'll be able to get him away unless he actually does something."
"We're getting a restraining order, correct?" I furrow my brows at Rory's words.
"I don't know." Rory gulps, "I haven't decided."
"You haven't decided?" I'm a bit taken back. Just weeks ago she told me she wanted to file a restraining order against Ashton, and now she doesn't?
"I don't want to talk about this right now." Rory sighs, "Can we just drop it and cook lunch?"
I open my mouth to protest when Rory shakes her head, placing a finger over my mouth.
"Enough worrying, H." Rory smiles, "I'm starving. We'll discuss this more later."
"Fine." I sigh, "But you owe me a kiss."
Rory pecks my lips, but I shake my head, pulling her back for more.
"One more." I mumble against her lips, biting her bottom lip in attempts to get her to open her mouth.
"Harry." Rory mumbles against my lips, "Tiny ears. Tiny eyes."
I pull away and groan, pecking her lips once more as Ivy toddles down the stairs, still holding onto the pillowcase from my guest bedroom.
"Is that bad guy gone?" Ivy asks softly, joining Rory and I in the kitchen.
"He's gone." I smile, "Are you hungry?"
Ivy shakes her head, "No. My tummy feels empty. I can't eat."
"No?" I frown, "You don't want to eat?"
"Tummy still hurts."
"It still hurts?" Rory sighs sadly, "Do you think you're gonna be sick?"
"I dunno mommy." Ivy whines, "I want to cuddle with 'Arry in my bed."
"I'm fixing lunch little leaf and then I'll cuddle." I smile sadly, starting the rice on the stove.
"No!" Ivy cries out, stomping her foot as giant tears form in her eyes. "I want to cuddle now."
"Ivy baby, I know you don't feel good but you have to be patient." Rory sighs, stepping in to comfort Ivy, but she's not having any of it.
"No mommy." Ivy sobs, "I cuddle 'Arry now please."
"Ivy-"
"Ro babe it's okay." I sigh, "I can do this later. We'll just have it for dinner instead."
"Harry, you can't-"
"It's fine." I cut her off, sending her a pleading look as Ivy continues to crumble in front of us.
"We cuddle?" Ivy sniffles, looking up at me as I wipe my hands off and turn off the stove.
I nod. "We're gonna cuddle little leaf."
"Mommy? Can you come too?" Ivy asks softly.
"Of course bug." Rory sighs, sending me a look as we both take one of Ivy's hands and walk her to her bedroom.
I've definitely overstepped my boundaries. The look Rory gave me told me everything I needed to know. I didn't mean to, but I couldn't bare to see Ivy standing there in tears as she begged me to cuddle in bed with her.
I somehow squish myself into Ivy's very tiny bed. It's the perfect size for a toddler, but for a six foot man, it's a bit snug.
Ivy hops up onto the bed after me, climbing over me and snuggling into my left side as she lays her head on my chest with her pink stuffed bunny in one hand and the pillow case from my guest bedroom in the other.
"Cmon then mumma." I smile, opening up my arm for Rory to join us. She slides in, tucking herself into my free arm as she plays with Ivy's hair.
"I love you 'Arry." Ivy whispers, "Thank you for cuddlin' with me."
"I love you more little leaf."
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September 22, 2020.
Thankfully, Ivy went the whole night without throwing up. She's still complaining of a tummy ache, but she's slowly becoming her sweet, bubbly self again.
After we laid down in her bed, we all ended up falling asleep. Harry woke me up around eight pm asking If I was hungry, to which I told him no.
Im upset with him. He overstepped his boundaries when it comes to Ivy. I get she was upset, and he hates seeing her upset, but I'm the parent.
I walk into the kitchen and find Ivy and Harry sitting at the bar, eating a light breakfast that I know Harry got up and cooked.
"Mommy!" Ivy gasps patting the seat next to her, "Come! Come! Bestest friend made toast!"
I plop down beside Ivy, avoiding Harry's eye as he looks at me. He knows I'm upset with him, the look on his face is heart wrenching. He looks like he's going to burst into tears any second now.
"Do you want anything?" Harry asks quietly, his voice soft and distant. My heart can't help but ache a little, but I need to stand my ground.
"No." I reply, "I'm okay."
"Well uh- I called Alice." Harry sighs, "She's on her way here. She wants to talk to us- you in person."
"Okay," I breathe, "Vee can you go to your room for a minute?"
Ivy nods, hopping off the stool and going to her bedroom. I turn to face Harry but he's already gotten up and is standing in front of me.
"I'm sorry." He whispers, "I-I didn't mean to overstep my boundaries. I just- I couldn't stand there and watch her cry Ro."
"I know." I sigh running a hand down Harry's arm as he hovers over me, "But she has to know she can't get what she wants as soon as she asks for it."
"It won't happen again." Harry says confidently, taking a deep breath, "I won't overstep again, I promise."
"Thank you." I smile, leaning back against the counter as Harry steps in between my legs.
"Are you mad at me?" Harry asks softly, and I frown, shaking my head and kissing his knuckles.
"No baby, I'm not mad." I sigh, "I just didn't appreciate the fact that you ignored me."
Harry nods, tucking his head into my shoulder and kissing my jaw lightly.
"Okay." Harry breathes into my neck, "Well, Alice should be here soon. So if you want to freshen up or anything, you best do it now."
"Are you calling me smelly?" I gasp, pulling him away and looking at him in fake offense.
"Maybe." Harry smirks, eyes darting from my eyes to my cleavage.
"Eyes up here, Styles." I snap my fingers to get his attention, "If you keep looking at me like that I'll never make it to the shower."
Harry blushes at that, turning away and shaking his head. "Stop teasing me and go shower." He grumbles.
I hop off the stool, pecking his cheek before walking off to my bathroom to shower.
When I get out, I put on a pair of Harry's sweats I found in my dresser drawer and a basic white crop top.
"Ro! She's here!" Harry calls from the kitchen, I meet him at the door, welcoming Alice into my home.
"I'm Alice, It's nice to meet you." Alice smiles, holding her hand out for me to shake. I accept it gratefully, sending her a smile.
"I'm Rory, It's nice to meet you too." I smile, leaning into Harry as he places a hand on my back.
"We can go sit in the living room." Harry sighs, guiding Alice to the living room.
"Where's Ivy?" I frown, looking at Harry. I hadn't seen her since I sent her to her room earlier.
"Asleep in the bedroom." Harry chuckles, "I went into there to check on her while you were in the shower and she was passed out on the floor by her toys."
My poor girl must be exhausted. Though she didn't throw up, she was up and down a lot not feeling well in general.
I nod, sitting beside Harry as he wraps an arm around my shoulder, Alice sitting in front of us.
"So I heard we're having some troubles?" Alice pulls out a fairly thick file, sitting it in her lap.
"Um yeah." I respond, "My ex- Ashton Mills, recently showed up to my house and threatened to take my daughter away from me."
"I was informed of that." She nods, "Harry told me your ex isn't on the birth certificate, correct?"
"That's correct." I clear my throat, "I refused to put him on it. He wasn't there for me during my pregnancy of for the three years she's been alive. He came back around August of this year."
"Well, the good thing is since there's nothing legally that ties him to the child, he has no rights. And even if he could get them, and that's a big if, the court wouldn't accept it. He has a lengthy record." Alice explains, taking out four sheets of paper from her file.
"What are these?" I ask softly, picking it up with shaky hands. What all has he done that I don't know about?
He's been busted for drugs before, I know that. I had to bail him out a few times because he got himself in trouble. I spent thousands to keep his ass out of jail.
"These are all domestic abuse reports that were filed against your ex. They're all within a three year time span, and the most recent one was two weeks ago"
"D-Did you say domestic abuse?" I whisper, looking down at the paper in my hand.
It was a police report. Filed by someone we went to high school with.
They were hooking up one night and Ashton lost it. He threw her against the wall and put her in a choke hold.
He left marks.
"He has a court date set for November of this year for two of the four reports." Alice sighs, "I know this may be a touchy subject, and you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but was there ever a time that he put his hands on you?"
And then the memories hit me like an eighteen wheeler.
ꕤ ꕤ ꕤ
January 1, 2016.
I knew going out for New Years was a bad idea. A terrible idea even. Ashton always has one too many and gets aggressive when I refuse to do anything with him.
That's how it is every New Years.
I ask Ashton if we can stay in, maybe watch a movie and cuddle and he always says no.
He loves to party. Maybe a bit too much sometimes and that scares me. But what scares me most is how violent he gets.
Sometimes I feel like I should fear for my life.
"Ashton stop." I plead, tears streaming down my face as I back myself into a corner. "I told you I didn't want to do anything."
"Well too bad!" He spits, grabbing my wrist and yanking me out of the corner. I cry out in pain, trying my best to pull away from his grasp.
"Ashton, you're hurting me." I cry.
Tonight was supposed to be fun, but now here I am, crying in a corner of a drug infested house while Ashton begs for sex.
"It's fucking New Years Rory. People always celebrate the New Years by having sex." Ashton growls, reaching his hand out and grasping my boob.
"Let go." I say sternly. "Ashton, let go right fucking now."
"Just five fucking minutes Rory!" Ashton snaps, "That's all I'm asking for."
"I said No." I breathe, "Now drop it Ashton."
"You're gonna regret saying that."
ꕤ ꕤ ꕤ
"Yes." I gulp, "There were a few times."
I watch as Harry's head flies over to me, anger and sadness written all over his face. I rub Harry's thigh in attempts to calm him down.
He hates this.
"He got most violent when he was drunk." I breathe, telling my stories to Alice as she writes them down. "I never filed a police report because he threatened to hurt himself If I did. But looking back now I should've, because now it's happening to other women."
"It's not your fault Rory." Alice assures, "He's manipulative." Alice pulls out another piece of paper with a very recent DUI charge. "There's also this."
"How is he even out of jail right now?" Harry speaks up, his voice wavering as he tries to contain his emotions. "He's got four assault charges against him and he's walking around our fucking neighborhood."
Our.
He said our.
"Brother bailed him out." Alice sighs, "He never stayed more than two hours in jail."
"Of course." Harry mutters, his bottom lip between his thumb and index finger as he twists it around. "I want you to get a restraining order Rory."
"A restraining order would probably be best." Alice agrees. "He's come up to the house two times that you know of for sure, and Harry told me he's seen his car sitting across the street a few times."
"What?" Now it's my turn to be shocked. I look over at Harry with a surprised look on my face. "When all have you seen him?"
"I didn't know it was him until I saw him yesterday." Harry sighs, looking me in the eyes, "But a few times when I came over, I saw a car parked across the street with someone just sitting in it. It was Ashton."
Oh.
That was his car.
"That was him?" Is all I muster out. Harry nods, taking my hand in his and squeezing it.
All this time I thought it was just some random ass paparazzi or crazed fan that wanted insider info on my life. They never bothered me, so I wasn't alarmed.
But the more I think about it, the more I realize how many times I felt as if someone was watching me, more specifically Ashton was watching me.
I told Harry from time to time I felt as if Ashton was snooping around. There were times I'd see someone walking down the street that eerily resembled him.
"Would you like to go through with the restraining order?" Alice asks softly. I nod, letting out a shaky breath.
"Please."
ꕤ ꕤ ꕤ
I feel so much better knowing Ashton will have a restraining order placed against him in just a few short days. He'll no longer be able to stalk my family and put them in harms way.
After Rory filed the paper to obtain a restraining order, Alice signed it and left. So all we have to do, is take it up to the courthouse and have it signed by a judge. Which, shouldn't be too hard.
Ivy is still down for a nap. My poor little leaf is exhausted from how sick she was and still is.
She's slowly getting her strength and energy back, but I can see it in her eyes she's still not feeling the best. I'm just glad she didn't throw up the toast I made her this morning.
"I'm glad that's over with." Rory sighs, "For now." I grab her hand, kissing her knuckles as she lays her head on my shoulder.
We've had a rough few days.
"Me too." I hum, "Do you want to go lay down? You look exhausted. " I run a hand through her hair, twirling it slightly as she shifts beside me.
"No." Rory shakes her head, "I'm good." I glance down at her sweats and smirk.
Those are mine.
"You look sexy." I murmur, kissing her hair.
Rory turns head, her lips soon meeting mine. "You're just saying that because I'm wearing your sweat pants." She mumbles against my lips.
I shake my head. deepening the kiss as I move to hover over her slightly, my hands going to the either side of her.
"Remember." Rory sings against my lips, "Tiny ears. Tiny eyes."
"She's asleep." I mumble, biting Rory's bottom lip. She opens her mouth, giving me permission to go inside.
"Bedroom." Rory moans, I nod. Fuck she's so good. Our lips stay connected as we stumble to her room. I shut her bedroom door with my foot, my hands clinging onto her hips as we kiss deeply.
"Wait." Rory breathes, pulling away as I go to remove her shirt, "Look the door."
I gulp, nodding violently as I practically stumble over my own two feet to lock the door.
"Hurry Harry." Rory groans, I fumble with the lock, finally getting it to twist before turning on my heels and shoving Rory back against the bed.
"You're so beautiful." I mumble, my hands etching up her sides, her shirt slowly bunching up towards her breasts.
I look down at Rory for permission to remove her shirt. She nods, sitting up slightly as I practically rip her shirt off of her.
"Fuck." I breathe, kissing down her bare chest and taking her body in.
She's magic.
Rory yanks on the hem of my shirt, pulling me up towards her and roughly pressing our lips together. "Take your pants off." She mumbles against them.
Oh Fuck.
"What?" I choke, leaning away and looking at Rory with wide eyes.
"You heard me." Rory repeats herself, pulling my shirt over my head. "Take all of your pants off, Styles."
I clumsily take my pants off, kicking them off to side before hovering over her once more.
She's so fucking beautiful. And she's all mine.
"I'm ready." Rory breathes. looking me in the eyes. I stare at her for minute. I don't want to pressure her into anything.
"Are you sure?" I ask softly, hovering over her as she runs her hands up my chest.
"I'm sure." Rory nods, "Now stop talking and get your dick inside me."
"Fucking hell." I groan. I rip her sweats off, my sweats and throw them off to the side before realizing I don't have a condom.
"I'm on birth control." Is all Rory says. My head shoots up to her and she giggles.
"Are you in my head?" I ask jokingly. Rory shakes her head pulling me down.
"Maybe." Rory hums, "Now get going, Styles. We don't have all day!"
"Tell me if I'm hurting you." I say softly, looking Rory in the eyes. She nods, sucking in a deep breath as I push myself in.
"Holy fuck." Rory cries out, her back arching as winces slightly. "Fuck, Harry keep going."
"You're so tight." I breathe, pushing myself in further. Rory bites her lip, throwing her head back, which gives me access to her neck.
I begin to suck on her neck, biting it lightly as she groans against me. "So beautiful." Rory let's put a loud moan, her hand sliding up and down my back, leaving scratches.
"I'm so close." Rory whimpers. I grin against her, reaching my spike. Rory gasps loudly, her grip on me easing up slightly.
Holy fuck.
We just had sex.
"That was-"
"Amazing." Rory finishes for me, kissing me hard as I begin to slowly pull out. I take a moment to look at her body once more, tracing over the outline of her breasts.
"God." I breathe, "Can't believe you're all mine." I kiss in between her boobs, trailing the kiss up her neck and to her jaw.
"Harry-" Rory groans pulling my head off her bare chest. "Wait- stop. I think-"
And that's when I hear it. The sweet little innocent voice coming from the other side of the door.
"Mommy! Bestest friend! I up!"
Rory and I look at each other, letting out a small laugh. I lean down and peck her lips a few times before standing up and helping a very shaky Rory off the bed.
"Duty calls."
ꕤ ꕤ ꕤ
Hiiii Cinema!
Soooo the weather?
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. If the smut sucks, just pretend It doesn't. I don't write it often so I am no good at it.
As for the legal stuff, I am no professional. So if anything is wrong pls do not correct me.
I also didn't proof read this before publishing, so sorry for any errors.
With love, Lys.
xoxo.