Jazz Me Up

Chapter 6: Two Black Eyes

Madeline's POV:
Robert's eyes were filled with anger, nostrils flared as he pulled him off of me. "How dare you?" he asked angrily. "Nobody fucks my wife.. except for me."

Tears clouded my vision as he threw Charles to the floor and began beating him senseless. And it was even worse because I knew I was in no position to stop him.

By the end of it, Charles ended up with a single black eye and a bloody nose, but he wasn't about to back down. "You don't deserve her!" he shouted. "You treat her like shit and then you wonder why she's in bed with another man!"

"Stop it, both of you! I never wanted this to happen!"

Robert snapped his head back in my direction, eyes burning like the flames of Hell. "Stay out of this, Madeline," he spat. "I'll deal with you later."

"No. I'm sick and tired of you pushing me around. I deserve more respect."

"Oh, I see. And did your little lover boy tell you this?" he asked. "Absolutely pathetic. Why would you ever believe a word that comes out of this guy's mouth? He's nothing but a liar and a thief. And unless you want me telling both him and the police about our little secret, I'd suggest you keep your pretty little mouth shut.."

"It was a fucking accident!" I shouted. "And it happened at your club! You're lucky I don't tell the police what REALLY happened."

He smirked lightly. "Uh oh.. it seems Madeline is displeased," he teased. "But this is a minor setback in a major operation, one that no longer concerns the pathetic young man trying to make my wife his whore."

"I'd rather be his whore than your wife," I spat.

I hated the insolent tone of his voice. He aimed only to tear me down and belittle me, making me believe I was nothing without him.

He kept insisting Charles was weak and pathetic, but in all reality, he was the pathetic one.

"Insolent coward," I muttered.

"What did you just say?" he asked angrily.

I stood up slowly, squaring my shoulders as I stared him in the eye. "I said you're pathetic," I repeated. "An insolent coward."

And that was all I could say. The next thing I knew, he'd stepped away from Charles, who was now a bloody mess on the floor.

He struck me hard across the face. "Now, then.. that should teach you to hold your tongue until spoken to."

"You. Are. A. Bitch!" Charles shouted. "No wonder she'd rather spend time with me than you!"

I felt trapped, like there was no way out. He had me wrapped around his finger, and there was nothing I could do about it. It was hopeless.

Some boys take a beautiful girl and hide her away from the rest of the world.. I wanna be the one to walk in the sun.

And perhaps Charles could've been my escape, if it hadn't been for Robert ruining everything.

He rolled his eyes. "Come now, Madeline. I believe we've overstayed our welcome here."

"Indeed you have," Charles muttered. "But Madeline is always welcome."

He stood up slowly, wiping the blood from his nose and kissing my knuckles softly. "Now, you know where to find me if you ever change your mind," he whispered. "Just say the word."

I nodded slowly, my eyes falling to the floor as I followed Robert out into the city. "Goodbye Charles.."

Charles' POV:
It broke my heart having to watch her go, but I should've known this would happen. I felt like such a fool.

After everything that's happened, I couldn't believe I'd been so stupid. And as a result, I may have just lost her forever.

I may have suffered a beating, but I knew that Robert was going to make her's a whole lot worse, and I couldn't even bring myself to think about what he could possibly have in store for her, as awful as it was. I felt so guilty.

But what else did I expect? She was a married woman, after all. And no matter how much I loved her, she still belonged to someone else.

The feeling was awful. I wished I could do something to save her, but I felt so powerless. There was nothing I could do. She was trapped in a loveless marriage, with no way out in sight.

Madeline's POV:
By the time Robert had grown tired of beating me, I had two black eyes and a broken arm. I could barely walk away from him.

"Now, I tell you again.. for the last time," he warned. You are NEVER to see that man again, not as long as I'm alive. I forbid it!"