Her eyes held a murderous intent as she stared down at him. Despite her shorter stature, she seemed like a giant. She held so much power in that small body of hers.
"We're taking Lisa, and your sorry ass won't bother her again."
"If you do that, the contract will be broken. My dad will take half your company," Chris reminded me, making me grow pale. Dad would make all our lives hell.
"No, don't," I begged.
"Send your friends away, Lisa. Stay here and I won't tell my dad anything."
"Lisa, don't. We can handle ourselves. You don't need to do this," Liv swore, but she doesn't know. She doesn't understand what Dad was like.
"You don't get it Liv. He'll take away your job. He'll come after your marriage and then he'll come after Abi. He'll take your house, your money, and your happiness."
"My happiness is Lucas and Abi, and he can never take that from me."
"But he can, and he will. He'll place Abi in foster care when you have no place to stay. He'll annul your marriage to Lucas and probably send him overseas with the promise of leaving you alone. There was no getting out of this now that the contract was signed, Liv."
I shook my head, feeling the tears flow out of me like a river. I wanted nothing more than to run out of this house with them. There was no going back. I had to stay, and they had to go. My heart was breaking into a million tiny pieces inside my chest.
I had to send them away and accept whatever Chris was going to do to me.
"Lisa, I swear to God if you send us away and stay next to him, I won't let you in my house again. I'm telling you flat out that we can take care of your dad without you doing this. Trust me, Lisa. Stop being scared."
Liv was absolutely furious, but this time it was at me. It surprised me, as I had never once seen her mad at me. Her icy blue eyes stared at me with such anger, looking as if she could slap me across the face for saying what I had. She meant every word she said. She wouldn't allow me to see Abi again.
Maybe that was for the best.
Abi shouldn't be around me if I had to be with Chris. She shouldn't be around a weak woman like me. The only influence she should have should be Liv. I dropped my head, unable to stare into those eyes of hers any longer. I swore I would protect them, and this was the only way I could.
"You should go," I whispered, feeling myself break inside. I couldn't look at any of them as I spoke these words. My eyes fixed on the floor before me.
"Damnit, Lisa. I thought you were smarter than this."
Her words stung, but I understood why she was so upset. She spent most of her childhood seeing her mom abused. Then her dad's new girlfriend, who she helped escape, beaten by him as well. Liv doesn't understand why a woman would choose to be with someone that hurts them in this way.
She would never allow herself to be in a relationship like that. She helped me out the last time I was in an abusive relationship and told me if I ever got back with him again that she wouldn't help.
I was going to lose her and Abi over this, but at least they would be safe. At least Dad won't be coming after them. They could all live happily in that house Lucas built for them. In the house straight out of a fairy tale with their love as bright as the sun. Their home would stay filled with love and warmth, making all this worth it.
"I'm not leaving without you," Davis' voice pulled my eyes from the ground. I stared at him longingly, wishing he could take me, but he can't.
"She made her choice. She told you to leave," Chris reminded him with a smug smirk.
Davis marched towards us. I was worried he would punch Chris again. If he kept this up, it would only make Chris hurt me further, once they left. I stepped in front of him, causing Davis to look at me like I stabbed him in the heart. His eyes softened when he noticed my tears multiply.
He continued his way towards us until he grabbed the chain of the cuffs with his hands. I heard the snap of the chain, freeing me from Chris. Davis had broken the physical, and metaphorical, chain that bound me to Chris with nothing but his powerful hands.
"You're coming with me, and I don't want to hear a word otherwise," Davis told me sternly, lifting me up and throwing me over his shoulder.
He turned and punched Chris again for good measure. Just as Davis said earlier in the night, if he wanted me, Chris would be on the floor and I over his shoulder. He wanted me and he wasn't taking no for an answer. Liv smiled as she watched us leave, only she didn't follow. She turned and faced Chris with Carter.
"We'll handle this," Carter told Davis as he closed the front door behind us. I could see Chris' face pale with fear.
"Davis, what about Liv and her happy life? Dad will ruin it." I tried to get him to see reason.
"Your happiness is important, too."
I grew silent, hit by the weight of his words.
