“He beat me so badly that last night that I ended up in the hospital. ”
I saw the look in his eyes turn from hurt to anger. He swallowed and was about to say something.
I shook my head. “Let me just get this out. ”
He nodded and grabbed my hands as we sat down on the ground.
“I met Roger in high school, and I fell fast and hard for him. He was the guy who all the girls wanted. Everyone said we were the perfect couple, that we were made for each other. He ended up getting an opportunity to work for his father in New York City. It was a no-brainer for me to just follow him there. I applied to a school in New York to pursue my dreams of getting into event planning. ” I smiled and shook my head, thinking back to those first few months in New York.
“I think I always knew he was cheating on me early on after we moved to New York. One day, I found a note in his pants from someone at the office. I didn’t even confront him about it. I just pretended it wasn’t meant for him. Then…the first time he, um…”
Layton held my hands tighter, and I saw tears building in his eyes. My heart was pounding. All I wanted to do was get lost in Layton’s love and never think about Roger again. But I had to do this.
I cleared my throat. “The first time he hit me was over a stupid disagreement before a dinner party. He slapped me so hard that I was sure my eye was going to come out of my socket. The moment he did it, he apologized and said he didn’t know what had come over him. He blamed it on being so stressed out from his job and from trying to keep his father happy. He even cried. I actually ended up feeling bad for him…if you can believe that,” I said with a gruff laugh.
“Motherfucker. ” Layton looked away.
I took a deep breath. “A few months went by, and things seemed to be back to normal. Then, he saw me talking to a guy outside our building. He was a neighbor, and I had just come back from a run, so he started telling me about a marathon. As soon as Roger and I walked into our apartment, he grabbed me by the arm, spun me around, and got right in my face. He kept yelling at me for flirting with the guy. I pulled my arm away and told him he was being an asshole and to stop being so damn jealous. ”
I felt my body start shaking as I could still hear Roger’s voice and feel his breath on my skin. When I closed my eyes, I was brought back to that night.
“He got right in my face and started calling me a whore. He said I was never to call him names again. I told him to fuck off, and he…”
I could feel tears rolling down my cheeks. As I felt Layton wipe them away, I opened my eyes and looked into his loving ones.
“Baby, I’m so sorry he hurt you. ”
I smiled and took a deep breath. “He pushed me so hard that I flew backward and hit my head on the coffee table. I ended up missing three days of classes that week because I had a killer headache. When the beatings became a regular occurrence, I slowly started to pull away from my family and friends. If I wore a skirt that was too short, he would hit me. If I talked to another man or even looked at one, he would hit me. I kept telling myself that if he did it again, I would leave. But he broke me into a million pieces—not just by hitting me but also with his words. I felt like I deserved the punishments, and I often wondered if maybe I was provoking him, and I didn’t realize it. ”
“God, Whitley, no! Of course you didn’t. ”
“I see that now, but back then, I couldn’t see it. When I looked in the mirror, I only saw the person he wanted me to see—someone who was weak and not able to survive without him. ”
“Jesus, Whitley. I don’t even know what to say. ”
“That last night, we were at a company party. Roger was flirting with this girl, Lucy, all night. It turned my stomach at how openly he touched her and whispered in her ear. I got pissed and purposely danced with a coworker of his, Nick, who was up for the same promotion as Roger. I was thanking him for the dance, and I placed my hand on his arm. The moment I did it, I realized my mistake. I certainly paid for it when we got home. It was the worst beating of them all. I just knew that, this time, he was going to end up killing me because he was so angry. I woke up in the hospital, and…”
I started to cry a little harder as I thought about that night. I quickly wiped away my tears and smiled at Layton as I took a few deep breaths.
“When I woke up and realized I was okay, I decided that was enough. I was done. I would never again let him hurt me, physically or mentally. I remembered the man at the racetrack talking about the little town of Llano. I asked Court to move to Texas with me, and we started making plans for me to check myself out of the hospital and leave New York. I was so scared, Layton. You’ll never know how scared I was when I left, thinking he was going to walk into the apartment and see me packing up. ”
Layton shook his head and looked into my eyes. “Where was he?”
“He had gone out of town for business. I knew that was my only chance to leave. So…I did. I left, and I never looked back. ”
Layton moved closer to me. “Did you tell your parents?”
I smiled slightly. “I did. My father was so angry. I had to practically beg him not to drive to New York to beat Roger’s ass. He did tell me he better never see Roger again, or he would kill him. ”
Layton placed his hands on the sides of my face, and the butterflies in my stomach took off with his touch.
“Whitley, I would do anything to take all that pain and hurt away. You’re the bravest person I’ve ever met. You amaze me, baby. ”
I got up on my knees and wrapped my arms around him. He pulled back and cupped my face with his hands again as he used his thumbs to wipe away my tears.
“As God as my witness, I promise you, no one will ever hurt you again, baby. I’ll kill them before I let them hurt you. ”
I slammed my lips against his and kissed him with everything I had. The moan from his lips moved through me like a warm blanket covering my body. I’d never felt so loved and so safe in my entire life.