“I can see how you would feel that way,” I replied softly.“I’m so sorry, Jo.My only intentions have been to protect you.I promise that I will never do anything to hurt you.”
“Just like Tray promised to love and cherish me until death do us part?He was just as controlling as you’ve been today, Dom.How can you blame me for questioning you?You were best friends with him for so long; how am I supposed to trust that you’re not just like him?What makes you any different?”
I rolled my shoulders a few times to relieve the tension building on them, then I got down and kneeled in front of her.
“Because I will do anything to earn your trust back, Jo.I will gladly step aside and let you lead things from here on.I have no desire to control you, nor do I want to do anything that makes you question my loyalty.You’re in charge from here out, and I will do anything you ask me to.”
Her eyes softened slightly as she looked down at me.But before she said anything, she turned and walked away, leaving me on my knees in the living room by myself.
Twenty-Five
Jo
Dom was sitting onthe couch watching a movie when I sat beside him.He didn’t say anything, just shifted his position as he lifted his arm and rested it on the back of the couch, giving me space to curl up beside him if I wanted to.
My body was tense as I opened the Photos app on my phone and started scrolling until I found the one I wanted.I fought back the tears that threatened to spill over as I turned it toward Dom so he could see.
“This is what I look like dead,” I said.“Or close to dead since I’m obviously still alive.”
Dom’s jaw tightened as he stared at the picture of me with my face bruised and swollen from Tray.
“I had dressed up for Tray’s birthday party,” I continued, ignoring the lump in my throat as the memories of that night resurfaced.“I had just bought a new dress, and I thought he would love it, so I surprised him by wearing it that night.When he saw me, he was pissed.He accused me of trying to get attention and called me a whore.I tried to assure him that I was only dressing up for him, but he didn’t want to hear it.He demanded that I change, and when I refused, he hit me for the first time.”
I swallowed and licked my lips, trying to keep my mouth from going dry.
“I still remember the shock I felt when it happened because I had never seen that side of him before.Well, I had, but not when it came to me.He had always been so loving and kind, I never would have suspected he would hurt me over something as stupid as a dress.”
Dom worked his jaw back and forth as he listened, his eyes never straying from the photo.
“I tried to get up on my own when I realized he wasn’t going to help me.Before I could, he kicked me several times, knocking the wind out of me.The man I thought I knew changed in a heartbeat, and I remember being so confused because the man I loved wasn’t the same man who stood there beating me until I was barely conscious.”
“Fuck, Jo,” Dom hissed, as his nostrils flared.
“He eventually helped me up, but only to pin me against the wall by my throat while he lifted my dress and took what he wanted.By that point, I was fading in and out of consciousness and couldn’t say or do anything to stop him.The last words I remember hearing him say before I passed out were ‘if you want to act like a whore, I’ll treat you like one.’After that, I woke up on the floor in a puddle of blood.I searched for my phone, knowing that I needed to call for help, until I realized I didn’t have anyone to call.”
“I wish I fucking knew what was happening,” Dom growled.“I would have fucking killed him that night.”
