Chapter 13
When Felicity heard Taylor crash into the apartment at two a.m., she thought for a minute about pretending to be asleep.
But she decided to deal with it calmly and remind him that he was staying at his parents’ apartment that night, not hers.
He had come home like a homing pigeon to roost. So now he was her problem.
And would be for the next fifty years after tomorrow.
She remembered the lineup of men at the bar drinking shots, so she had no doubt how drunk he was.
Very. And that had been five hours before.
He’d had a lot to drink since then, and he was unpredictable when he drank.
It all depended on how much of what liquor.
She wanted to get him back out the door quickly, and on the way to his parents uptown.
She quickly put a robe on over her nightgown, turned on the light, and went to meet him. He had knocked over the metal and glass coffee table in front of her couch, and she could see that one of the sides was broken.
“Hi, Taylor,” she said blithely, “let’s get you away from that so you don’t cut yourself.” He was too unsteady to get to his feet, so she pulled him up and he stood weaving in front of her. He was in bad shape. She could see that he had already cut himself, but not badly.
“Did someone break a glass?” he asked her.
“It’s nothing,” she said. “Your mom and dad are expecting you. I’m going to call you an Uber. It’ll be here in two minutes. They’ll be worried if you don’t come home tonight.”
“Fuck them,” he said, slurring his words, “I want to sleep with you.” He collapsed onto the couch as he said it.
“That’s sweet, but we’re not supposed to see each other tonight. It’s bad luck. We’re getting married tomorrow, remember?”
“Of course I remember. You’re my wife. I want to fuck you.
” It would have been funny except she knew how bad he could get, and he was already belligerent.
That was Phase Two. She wanted to get him out before he got to Phase Three and started breaking things in a rage.
He wasn’t there yet, but he could get there quickly if she refused him what he wanted.
“We’re not going to do that tonight. We’re saving that for the honeymoon,” she said innocently.
“I want you now, you’re my wife. You can’t say no to me.”
“I’m not saying no,” she said in a calm voice. “I’m reminding you that your mom and dad want you to come home and they’re waiting for you.”
“Fuck them. I want you.” As he said it, he reached out and grabbed her arm, and he pulled her so hard that she literally flew through the air and landed on him, and quickly scrambled off onto the couch, wanting to escape him.
He grabbed her by the back of the neck, pulled her to him, and pressed her face down on his crotch with one powerful hand, and unzipped his fly and released himself with the other.
“You know what I want,” he said harshly.
“I like how you do it.” She struggled away from him, but he tightened his grip on her neck.
“Do it!” he shouted at her, and she knew she was in trouble.
There was no reasoning with him. He was insane, with all the physical strength that gave him.
“Taylor, you need to go home,” she said gently.
“We’re getting married tomorrow. Don’t spoil it.
” He was beyond reason as he slapped her hard across the face and she could taste blood in her mouth, and before she could get away from him, he had torn away her robe and nightgown, grabbed her breasts and bit them, and entered her so hard that he knocked the wind out of her as she lay under him on the couch.
Everything went black for a minute, and she came to with him pounding into her with all his strength, as he had once before when he raped her the night they got engaged.
He turned into an animal, and kept raping her, until she was whimpering and begging him to stop.
He looked down at her as though seeing her for the first time, got up, staggered across the apartment, and walked out, slamming the door on his way.
He was clearly deeply deranged. She didn’t know what to do, or who to call, the police, or Violet, or her mother, and what if he came back and killed her if she called the police?
Somewhere inside him, there was a madman, a demon, and alcohol unleashed it.
She couldn’t marry him, and she didn’t know what to tell her mother.
She crawled to the bathroom, her legs shaking so hard she couldn’t stand at first, and cleaned herself up, and looked in the mirror.
He had knocked out a molar, which accounted for the blood in her mouth.
There was a bruise on her cheek where he had slapped her, and his handprints on her neck.
Her breasts were bitten and bleeding, and she felt as though someone had torn her insides out.
He was a big man and had taken her with such violence.
He had the strength of insanity when he did.
She wasn’t sure if he even knew he’d done it, or would remember it, but she would for the rest of her life.
When she stood up, there was blood running down her legs and she almost fainted.
She felt as though he had torn something inside her.
All she could think of, other than her injuries, was the wedding her mother had put together, all the money and effort, and she couldn’t marry him.
She didn’t know what to tell Dominique, and she was too ashamed to call anyone.
She wondered if it was her fault, if she had provoked him.
But in her heart of hearts she knew that the only thing that had provoked him was the tequila and whatever else he’d had to drink.
Somewhere lurking in him was a very angry, dangerous man.
In the end, not knowing what else to do, she called Violet.
She woke her out of a sound sleep, and told her what had happened between sobs, and Violet started to cry as she listened, and Jamie watched her, frightened about what had happened.
“I think I need to go to a hospital, I’m bleeding a lot.
” Felicity didn’t tell her sister she was pregnant, it was too much to add.
“Do you want me to come and get you?” Violet offered.
“I’m okay, I’ll take an Uber. I’ll meet you at Lenox Hill.”
After the call, Violet told Jamie what had happened and he looked horrified.
“He raped her? Were they already making love?”
“No, he let himself into the apartment, I guess after he left the bar. She said he’s done it before, but not as badly as this time.
She sounds terrible.” She jumped into a pair of jeans and Jamie dressed, and they hurried down to the street and hailed a cab.
Felicity had just arrived when they got to the hospital, and nothing had prepared them for the condition she was in.
Violet sobbed when she saw her, and held her hand, and Jamie stood by them, and asked if Felicity wanted him to leave.
But she was covered by a blanket. The resident explained that they needed to call the police and to photograph her injuries, and Felicity agreed.
Two female police officers came very quickly, and they were kind and compassionate while they took the photographs they needed.
It was five o’clock in the morning by then, and Jamie waited in a small waiting room, while Violet was in the room with Felicity when she gave them the statement of what Taylor had done.
Violet felt sick as she listened, and she hugged Felicity.
The resident told her then that she had suffered a miscarriage and the fetus hadn’t survived. Felicity was sorry but relieved. She didn’t want his child. She wanted no part of him in her life.
Violet looked at her in amazement. “You were pregnant?” Felicity nodded.
“I wasn’t happy about it. I was going to tell you after the wedding.”
“Does Mom know?” Felicity nodded in response.
“I had to tell her because of the wedding. She was really sweet about it. I wanted an abortion, but Taylor went nuts and wouldn’t let me. His parents know too.” But it wasn’t a problem anymore.
“What happens now? Other than canceling the wedding?” Violet asked.
“I think they arrest him. Not exactly the day we had planned for today.” Felicity looked calmer, but her bruises had darkened and looked bad.
There were bandages on her breasts, and they were going to do a D&C, but she wanted to call their mother first. Dominique would be devastated by what Taylor had done.
Jamie hoped they’d send him to prison. He was a sick sonofabitch to do what he had done to her.
He had never seen anything like the condition Felicity was in. He was heartbroken for her.
They waited until seven in the morning, and Felicity called and told her mother as simply as she could what had happened, and Dominique sat straight up in bed and was horrified.
“I’m so sorry about the wedding. All that money. I’m sure it would have been beautiful,” Felicity said.
Dominique was crying, and said she’d be right over.
“I don’t care about the money. I’m so sorry this happened to you.
He must be insane. Thank God you didn’t marry him, or have the baby.
I’ll be there in ten minutes,” she said, and then she sat down on her bed and thought for a minute.
She didn’t want to call Bill, but she wanted his advice.
She didn’t know if they needed a lawyer, but she wanted Taylor to be punished.
He could have killed Felicity, and the memory of that night would be with her forever.
She didn’t know if it was the right thing to do.
They had ended it two weeks ago, or she had, and now she was calling Bill for help.
But he would give her good advice. He always did.
She called his number, and he had just let the day nurse in.
He saw Dominique’s number come up, and he answered immediately.
“Happy wedding day,” he said, so happy to hear her, but she sounded serious.