Office Romance

Chapter Thirty-seven

§§Pamela.

She took in deep breaths and calmed down somehow.

"After the third time, Jake came to me and told me to accept the next proposal he would make. I knew he was going to make it even bigger than the last one he did. I argued with Jake, but he assured me, it was alright. He told me to 'just shut up and accept the damned man and his money,' his words not mine."

She tried moving her hand but the activity seemed strenuous for her. "And so I did. We went out and had sex-"

That thought made my heart ache, but I sat patiently and listened.

"I guess I was a fool, I wasn't wise enough to know that I was being used. We were both being used. When I ended the engagement, I went home to tell Jake, I was feeling guilty about promising Kyle a fake life, a family, kids I knew I couldn't give him. Jake got mad at me and hit me, then we reconciled with sex and his sweet words."

She continued. "Things got worse, there were nights he didn't come home, other nights he came home drunk and high. He never had a job, well at least one I knew about. We both deepened on my salary and after I got kicked out of the company, my whole life changed. He would beat me up and give me more pain than pleasure. Experiment with my body and hurt me more than I knew I could take."

She looked down. "You have to understand I loved him. It was my love for him that made me stick around and now-" Her voice cut off. She was having a weak moment. I dared not say anything.

"Then I found out he went into smuggling, drugs, illegal substances and he had been found out. Apparently, the money I had been getting helped to finance the operation and because I had stopped-"

"Things got hard between the two of you and he used you as his punching bag."

"I swear there is a knife besides me and if you dare interrupt me one more time, I will stab you. But yes, you are correct."

"I didn't find out who the man was not until the night of the incident. Ian came over and they broke into a fight. He had run bankrupt and his operation was falling to the ground. His new venture girl trafficking was found out and his investors were thrown in jail, he was lucky to have escaped. Quit staring and come help me, this pillow is uncomfortable."

I adjusted her body and head. She whispered a 'thank you' but I acted as if I heard nothing.

"I confronted Jake. It had all made sense the money or whatever material thing I had gotten from Kyle had been taken away from me going to God knew where. We lived in a dump. The crumpled apartment smelt like piss and weed. But he smoked, drank I was a fool."

She took a few moments to gain her breathing.

"It didn't go well. He hit me, pushed me to the floor and threw me on one of the glass tables. Then he got me and tied me to the chair and threw me down the stairs. I broke my neck but didn't die. I felt the wet foul stench of petrol on my body, and I was set aflame. I screamed for all I was worth. For few minutes I felt like I was in hell, I had that experience. I couldn't move, couldnt help myself, but all I could do was feel the pain."

I noticed the rushed breathing and the small stain of red on her side.

"Donna-"

"Let me finish." She gripped her side of the bed. One of the devices started beating very fast and I rose up.

"He dragged me out of the basement even though I still had flames on my body, tossed me into the car and headed into the dark night. I could see the apartment burn and the rest of the occupants rush out. He drove so fast I felt I was staring death in the eye. Then out of the blue-"