Chapter 14
Once Erik had left for the factory, Ingrid started slowly unpacking.
There was plenty of space for her clothes.
Erik’s wardrobe consisted of about fifteen items, excluding his underwear and sock drawer.
It was the rest of her things that she had to incorporate into his space.
They already shared many of the same books, so she put double copies into a box for donation.
Erik had an office which he never used, so she started setting up her own office there.
“Hello darling, how was the first day at Grove?”
“Lots of sim work, so I loved it.” Ingrid laughed because she knew this was the only way he would be happy to go to work. “Social media stuff tomorrow. At least it’s with Antoine, so it’ll be fun. And you? Has my sim room been turned into your meditation room or something?”
“No, it is the one room that has remained untouched…yet. I have stolen your office, though. It sounds like we’re both having a productive time.”
“Have you heard from Mark?”
“No, and to be honest, darling, I don’t wish to hear from him. I know you meant well with that gesture, but I think steering clear of him would be best for me.”
“I know, I just thought I would try.”
“Yes, and I love you for it.”
“See you in a couple of days. Love you.”
Ingrid decided to call Daniela and see if she was available for dinner.
She had decided it was time to take a break from tennis because the bump was now affecting her performance.
Unfortunately, Daniela was visiting her family in the UK while Antoine was there.
Ingrid realised that she was a bit lonely.
Instead, she went to the supermarket and bought some ingredients to make dinner.
On her way back, she found Mark waiting outside their building.
“Hi Mark,” she said with a constrained smile.
“Hello, Rookie,” he said charmingly.
As Ingrid got closer, she could smell alcohol on him. They lived in the same building, so she couldn’t stop him from following her in.
“Can I take that bag for you?”
“No, thanks, it’s really not that heavy,” she said as he tried to take it from her.
Ingrid felt the same reckless energy she had felt coming off of him before as they got into the elevator.
“You know, it should have been me,” Mark said.
“What should have been you, Mark?” Ingrid asked calmly.
“The one who got everything.”
Ingrid had the sudden realisation that she had been incorrect about who Mark had been interested in.
“I don’t understand, Mark.”
“I’m going to show you.”
That’s when the attack started. He shoved her against the inside of the elevator, hitting her head sharply against the mirror.
As the lift doors opened, she ran to their place.
Mark caught her and pinned her arms against the door, drunkenly trying to kiss her.
When she wouldn’t let him, he hit her head against the doorframe.
Ingrid knew she was fighting back, but her head was hurting, and she was confused, so she couldn’t tell what she was doing.
A final punch to the face, and she screamed.
Someone must have come out into the passage, because the next thing Ingrid remembered was police and paramedics. She didn’t see Mark anywhere. In French, the paramedics told Ingrid they were taking her to the hospital. The police asked who to call, and all Ingrid could say was “Freja Svensson”.
Freja met them at the hospital. Ingrid was calm and answered questions.
She kept asking where Mark was. If that motherfucker got away, I’m going to find him and put a knife through him, she thought.
Ingrid was sent for an MRI because of her head wound.
Once she was put into a hospital bed, she was finally able to speak to Freja.
“I’m so sorry for calling you at this hour, but I didn’t know who else to call.”
“Oh, my child, you can always call me!” Freja hugged her, and Ingrid winced. She had some bruised ribs, too. “How are you feeling?”
“Stupid.” It was honestly how Ingrid felt. “Did they get Mark?”
“You aren’t stupid.” Freja paused for a moment. “Ingie, he got away somehow. You know he knows that building well.”
“Fucking Mark,” she said. “Have you spoken to Erik?” She looked at Freja with worry in her eyes.
“Yes, three times!” She chuckled. “I called him once I knew you were ok. He’s called twice since then to let me know where he is on his trip back.”
“Oh, stupid man. He didn’t need to come back here.”
“You try and stop him! I’m sure he’s told you by now about what happened with his father?”
Ingrid nodded in response and realised she was going to need more painkillers soon.
“Well, this is his worst nightmare. Something like this happening to someone he loves. Good luck getting out of his sight now!” She laughed.
“I know I shouldn’t laugh, but I think you need it after the hell you went through.
He’s just messaged to say he’ll be here in twenty minutes.
I’m going to let you rest for a bit before you have to deal with him. ”
Freja kissed her gently on the head. It suddenly occurred to her that she needed to let her family know what had happened to her. She didn’t know where her phone was, so she called a nurse, who said the police had taken it for the investigation. There was a phone by the bed, so she called Oliver.
“Sister?” Oliver answered, sounding half-asleep.
“Yes, Oli, it’s me.”
“Oh, thank god. I had this horrible feeling about you.”
“Well, you were right to. Long story short, I was assaulted by Mark this evening, and I’m in the hospital right now. I thought Erik would have messaged or called you, but it clearly didn’t cross his mind.”
“Mark? What?” Oliver exclaimed. “Sister, how are you always so calm about these things and where is Erik?”
“My head is splitting, so I’ll have to explain the assault properly another time. I’m sure I look horrendous. When I get a phone, I’ll take a photo for you. Erik was away at the factory. He got a flight back as soon as his mother told him.”
“I’m booking a flight right now. I’ll let the parents know, but I don’t think they should see you like this. It might give them a heart attack.”
“They’ll be ok if they know you’re coming to look after me.”
The next person to deal with was Erik. Ingrid didn’t know how she would react with him or how he would react when he saw her. She didn’t want him to see her like this. She wasn’t going to have an option because he walked in soon after she got off the phone with Oliver.
“Oh, my love.” Erik went to her immediately and tried to hug her. He could feel her wincing. “I’m so sorry, did I hurt you?”
Ingrid began to cry for the first time that evening. Erik tried to wipe her tears, but they kept coming.
“I was so…so…stupid,” she said, in between half-sobs.
“No, this wasn’t your fault. You know that. Can I kiss you?”
“Yes, please.”
He kissed her gently on the lips where Mark had forced himself on her. She also had a split lip there from one of the punches.
“Do you want to tell me what happened?”
“Not yet. Could you stay here and sleep with me?”
“Of course. Let me speak to the doctors and police first, then I’ll be back.” He gently kissed her forehead and went off.
Erik was in complete shock at what Mark had done to Ingrid.
The doctor ran through the list: concussion; a total of 34 stitches to her head and face; bruising to her ribs, arms, and wrist; dislocated shoulder; and minor fractures around her eye and nose.
Erik felt his heart sink and his stomach turn with each description.
He had encouraged them to meet up, instead of being there to protect her.
All he could say to the doctor was ‘thank you’, and he went back to climb into the hospital bed with Ingrid.
???
Erik didn’t sleep. He just watched over Ingrid. A nurse came in early in the morning to check all her vitals and draw blood. Ingrid half-woke and took his hand.
“Don’t leave me,” she croaked.
“You know I won’t,” he said. “Can I kiss you?”
“Always,” she said. “You’re the only one that can.”
Erik was so worried about what she had been through. The police were calling it a sexual assault. They had seen the video surveillance. Erik hadn’t seen it yet; he didn’t want to.
Jonathan messaged and asked if they could call. Erik assumed that the ‘they’ would include Elizabeth and Julia. Ingrid had fallen asleep again, so he agreed to the call.
“Hi TP, Lizzie, Jules,” he said when the phone rang.
“I’m here too,” Antoine said.
“How is she doing?” Jonathan asked.
Erik went through the extent of the injuries because he wanted to let out his anger somehow.
“We’re so sorry, Erik. Is there anything we can do?” Elizabeth said.
“Find Mark and throw that worthless piece of shit off a bridge?”
“Mon pote, I’m ready when you are!” Antoine said.
“No, neither of you will do anything of the sort. I will,” Jonathan said. “Have they found him yet?”
“I don’t know. I’m still lying here with Ingrid, so I haven’t spoken to them. They’ve also taken her clothes, phone, everything…Jules, is there any media coverage of this?”
“I’m afraid so, Erik. We didn’t want to worry you about it. I’ll handle everything, you just look after Ingrid.”
“We’ll check in with you again later today. Send Ingrid our love,” Jonathan said.
Erik was going through some of the headlines when his mother came in with clean clothes for Ingrid.
“Oh, Mamma, tack,” he said, exhaustedly, as she kissed both of them gently. “Can you believe this is in the media already?”
“Ignore that, you have other things to focus on.”
Ingrid started to wake up. She clung to Erik. She woke up scared, and she couldn’t remember why.
“Shh, it’s ok,” he said. “I’m here.”
“Oh, I remember why I’m here now. Fucking Mark,” she said calmly. “Hei, Freja.” She smiled at her weakly. “How bad does it look this morning?”
“You’re still the most beautiful woman alive to me,” Erik said.
“Yes, yes, stop your nonsense. I want to see how bad it is.”
She got up too quickly from the bed and had to sit down.
“Gently, child!” Freja said and went to her side. “Also, I brought you some clean pyjamas to change into if you’d like.”
“Oh, thank you!” Ingrid said. “I’m so cold in this gown.”
As Ingrid was changing in the bathroom, she inspected all her injuries.
It brought back the evening before. She no longer blamed herself; she was angry.
Angry at Mark. Angry at men who thought they could walk all over her.
Angry at men who thought they could do this to women and get away with it.
When she came out, she asked Freja for a moment alone with Erik.
“Oli is going to be here soon. He’s going to take one look at me, and I won’t be able to handle telling him exactly what happened, so you need to do that for me, ok, darling?”
Erik nodded, and she told him everything she could remember from the attack. The words that Mark said to her. How he hit her. All of it. When she finished, Erik was shaking with anger.
“Darling.” She stroked his arm. “It’s ok. I survived.”
“How can you even let me near you after all that?”
“Remember I told you that you aren’t violent, and I trust you never to hurt me.”
“No, I encouraged you to hang out with him!”
“Don’t blame yourself for that.” She kissed him awkwardly with her split lip. “Neither of us saw that he was jealous of some life he thought he deserved, and he was going to take it by force, if necessary.”
“How are you being so calm and rational right now?”
“Ask Oli, it’s an annoying trait of mine.” She laughed and felt her bruised ribs.
As if he heard his name being called, Oliver knocked on the door at that moment and entered.
“Oh my god, Sister.”
He walked quickly to her and hugged her.
“Now be honest with me because this one isn’t. How bad does it look?”
“Fucking awful!” He teared up. “What happened?”
“Thanks for the honesty.” She smiled. “I’ve asked Erik to tell you because I know I’ll cry when I tell you, and it’s fucking painful to do that. So, while he does that, I’m going to have a little rest.”
Erik took Oliver out of the room and told him what Ingrid had said. Initially, Oliver was in shock, then he started sobbing, much as his sister had when Erik arrived the night before. He hugged Oliver until he calmed down.
“And I bet that little witch is completely calm right now?” Oliver said. Erik laughed both at the witch reference and the fact that Oliver was right. “What’s so funny?”
“I always call her a sorceress and, yes, she’s completely calm and rational right now. If it makes you feel any better, she did cry last night when I arrived.”
“Yes.” He wiped his eyes. “That does make me feel better.”
The doctor arrived with a detective and asked if they could see Ingrid.
All of them went into the room. There was still no news about Mark, which angered all of them.
The police caught him on CCTV footage, but he disappeared again.
The good news from the doctor was that Ingrid could go home that day.
All she could say to that was “Oh, good, in time to travel for Monza”.
Erik and Oliver looked at each other and rolled their eyes.
The story reached mainstream media on the Friday before Monza race week, after someone had leaked the CCTV footage of Ingrid’s attack. Both Erik and Ingrid avoided watching the clip. Oliver didn’t.
“Sister…” He came into the room where she was resting and kissed her on the head.
“Ow, concussion, stitches, etcetera, remember?” She laughed. “You’ve seen the video, haven’t you?” He nodded. “As I said to Erik, I’m ok. I survived.”
Erik was outside the room on the phone with their publicists and his lawyer, trying to find out what they could do about the video.
“Fucking nothing!” He let his anger out.
“Come here, darling,” she said. “Explaining is losing, and we don’t lose. We aren’t giving that man any more power or attention over us.”
Erik sat down on the bed and held her.
“I’m just so angry.” He kissed her on the head. Oliver took a photo because he saw the love they shared in that moment.
“Oli, did you get that?”
“Oh, Sister, even with a concussion, that brain of yours works wonders.” He exclaimed.
“Always.”
He airdropped the photo to her, and she posted it with the caption: We survived.
Mark wouldn’t win this battle. She had survived. Their relationship had survived. They were going to win off and on track.