Chapter Sixteen
Jumping up off the couch, I go in the direction of the hallway leading to our bedroom.
Grabbing a zip-up hoodie that had been folded on my dresser, I put both arms in the sleeves and on then zipped it about halfway.
Making my way to the bathroom, I stand in front of the small vanity.
I run a brush through my knot-laden hair.
Deciding on a high ponytail, I make quick work of securing it.
Feeling good about myself today, I grab my eyeliner and mascara.
I lightly coat my top lashes. Finishing up, I run my eyeliner pencil across my waterline.
Wetting my toothbrush, I quickly brush my teeth, then rinse with mouthwash.
Hearing my phone Ding with a notification, it's my doorbell camera letting me know Gavin is here.
Grabbing my purse, I head outside, making sure I lock the door this time.
As I approach, the driver's door opens, and Gavin comes into view. He is covered in grease and who knows what else… I’m sure he had a long day today.
As I get closer, he’s rounding the front of the truck and starts opening the passenger door for me.
“You don’t need to get the door for me, Gavin..
but thank you..” I respond sheepishly. He doesn’t respond, just looks at me with amusement. Eyes almost twinkling.
Once I’m seated, I secure the seatbelt. “You good?” Gavin asks gruffly. Once he’s satisfied with the nod of my head, he shuts the door and makes his way to the driver's side.
The drive is quiet, except for the music playing from his truck's CarPlay. He seems a little different from yesterday, and I’m not sure why…
He hasn’t looked at me much. I hope he’s okay.
Pulling into the garage’s parking lot, I spotted my car right away.
As he backs into his spot, he cautiously looks over to me and cracks a small smile.
Getting out of his truck, he makes his way around and opens the passenger door for me.
“Let’s go over some paperwork in my office, then you're free to go.” He says as he helps me down.
Making our way to the front of the garage, where the office is, he opens the door for me, allowing me to go in first. “My office is this way…” he says quietly as he makes a left and continues down the small hallway.
”Have a seat,” he says as he rounds his small desk, looking for the folder with my name on it.
“Um… Gavin…” My eyes bulge when looking at the receipt. “This is so embarrassing… but um Gavin.. I wish you had called me before doing all of this… I don't have this kind of money…” I feel sick to my stomach.
“Juni…relax, okay? Breathe for me for a second… just breathe for me. The receipt is for documentation only. There will be no additional costs for you. The only reason I needed you to come in and sign anything is for the warranty… in case anything goes wrong, all you have to do is call me, and we will handle it.” He says, sitting there looking at me so deeply.
His brown eyes are burning with something I can’t place.
”Gavin! This is to much… why.. Why did you go through all of this trouble? I don’t understand…” I’m so shocked I can barely speak.
“That’s what… friends… are for, right? I had the means, so I’m able to take care of it. Your car is all but brand new,” he says, looking at me with a small crooked smile. “Just sign this, please?” He hasn’t taken his eyes off me since we got in here.
Tears start appearing, and I have no way of stopping them. “Okay… thank you again, Gavin,” I say, moving my eyes to the paper and signing it.
“Don’t be a stranger, okay…? Tomorrow is my day off, and I’m planning to take my dog Charlie to this new park not far from here. Come with us?… as friends, of course.”
“Send me the address, and I’ll come.. I love dogs!”
Gavin stands and makes his way around the desk. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
“Yep, I’ll see you tomorrow!” We both give a quick hug, and he walks me out.
Unlocking my car door, I open it and get in.
I set my purse on the passenger seat, start the engine, and just don’t move for a few seconds.
I take in the new, clean smell inside my cab.
Pulling out of the garage, I instantly notice how different my car feels.
The drive is smooth. My wheel isn’t pulling to the left anymore.
That horrible screeching that I’ve ignored for far too long..
is gone.. Everything is tight and functional as it should be.
Gavin fixed everything. Every. Little. Thing…
Tears start filling my eyes again, spilling over.
My chest is clogged with so much emotion.
It actually hurts. Gavin did this because he wanted to.
No one asked him to do anything like this.
I wanted a single used tire. But he went beyond.
Pulling into the trailer park, I pull into our small driveway.
Taking a deep breath, I grab my purse and head inside.
Making myself busy with cleaning. I don't hear a vehicle pull up. The front door opening takes me out of my daze. The door doesn’t open gently; it cracks against the paper-thin wall.
Shocked by the suddenness, I feel my heart in my stomach.
My breath catches from the surprise. My body is frozen with fear.
A fear I haven’t felt in years. “Juniper.” It’s Reece, but it doesn’t sound like Reece, his voice razor sharp, deadly, sound ricocheting off the trailer's walls. I’m internally battling my mind to work with my voice as anxiety wraps around my throat, cutting off my air. ”What the fuck did you do?”
Pulling open the front door again to emphasize what has him so angry with me.
My anxiety acts as a boa constrictor, cutting off any response I could have.
My throat is so tight I can't speak. “When I left the hospital, I got into some car issues. So I got it to a garage, and it got fixed… I just got home a little while ago.”
Beady eyes meet mine from the door. “With what fucking money did you use to ‘Get it fixed’ with Juniper?”
”I.. I didn’t ha..”
Instantly, he cuts me off. “Don’t fucking try and lie to me, you're trying to say you didn’t pay for all of that work with money?” He laughs, but it doesn’t sound like him. Like he’s altered somehow…Is he on something…? “Then who fucking paid it then?” His voice is rising higher.
Sneering, his face turns even redder. “Who did you have to fuck to convince him enough to pay for this?” He asks with so much disdain. He starts getting closer with every step.
”I didn't d…”
My words are cut off, and my head is whipped to the right.
With such a force… my ears ring, and I stumble backward.
A warm, sticky stream starts running down my chin from my lip.
His voice goes even lower. And barks, “Do not fucking lie to me in my own fucking house, Juniper. It all makes sense…but if you wanted to get treated like the fucking disgusting whore you are, you should have just asked.” Charging forward, he slams me against the wall.
The plaster is cracking under the weight of my body.
Stunned, I can barely speak… “B-.. Baby.. what are you talking about? I haven’t cheated.
I haven’t slept with anyone.” I‘m not sure how I didn’t see it coming…
his fist cracks against the side of my face, my left eye taking the brunt of the force and temporarily taking my vision.
All I see is black. The next blow hits my nose, spraying blood all over his enraged face.
”Look what you fucking did, you stupid fucking worthless bitch!
” Sneering in my face. Being unable to see is rendering me helpless.
He tightly grips my shoulders, throwing me down onto the ground of the living room.
I try to sit up, but he just laughs. “Nuh uh, my wife wants to get treated like the filthy whore she is? It’ll be my pleasure. “
Grabbing my ankles, the force landed me flat on my back.
He starts ripping off every piece of my clothing.
I try to get away from him, but he just slams me down on my back again.
The life-altering sound of him pulling his zipper down immediately tells me where this is going.
Suddenly, I’m not an adult but a terrified fourteen-year-old girl.
The excruciating pain starts exploding all around me, as if it were sandpaper mixed with glass, telling me that he just forced himself into me.
“Reece… please…” I start to beg. “I didn’t do anything, I swear.
” Tears start falling down my face. He isn’t listening to me.
My pleadings are going unanswered. Reece picks up the pace, making it even rougher than it already was,making the pain unbearable.
I start to scream, but his bloodied hand covers my mouth, preventing a sound.
“You wanted this, you fucking whore,” he says as he spits on my face. He keeps going as my hands reach up to pry him off my mouth. I dig my nails into his wrist, moving his hand just enough, “Reece…stop.” His hand is gripping around my throat, cutting off my airway.
“Shut the fuck up! You wanted this, remember?” My body starts thrashing and trying like hell to get him off me.
Pulling my head forward by my neck, he slams it back onto the ground.
Ringing echoes through my ears, my head pounding from the force.
Having no fight left in me… I’m about to give up.
When his body tenses and relaxes, telling me he has accomplished what his punishment was intended to be.
“Now lie in this shit like the nasty bitch you are, and you are not to shower. If you do, your punishment will be way worse than this. Do you fucking understand me, Juniper?”
”Y… Yes… S..Sir. “ I am trying to make myself as small as I can on the floor.
“I cannot fucking believe you made me do this to you.. again,” he says, shaking his head.
“No one would want your washed-up, worthless ass anyway.. I don’t know why you even tried.
” I hear his footsteps receding, followed by the door opening and crashing shut.
I just lie there like a dog. In too much pain to move…
slowly the black creeps in and I lose consciousness.