Trusting Jack (River-Cove Series: Book 2 )

Chapter 4// Grace

Setting the dinner table, perfectly. Making sure the glasses and the silverware are where they are meant to be. Xander likes things to be flawless when we have people over, everything needs to be right. Everything needs to be his way.

"Babe, is everything ready? Kurt and his wife should be here any moment" I hear my husband voice shout through our home.

Taking a deep breath and smoothed down my dress, before doing a double check over the dining table.

Just as the footsteps stop and I feel him close to me, as the hairs on the back on my neck stick up, and fear creeps its way into my stomach.

Lifting my eyes to him and placed a fake smile on my face.

"Everything is perfect I think, I doubled checked everything. I know how you dislike things not being in their order" I say softly, picking my words wisely. I don't want to make him mad.

Xander smiles brightly before walking around the table and checking everything until he reaches back around me to me, trying to calm my nerves.

Breathing a sigh of relief as he steps back next to me with a smile, if he smiles that means he hasn't found anything wrong, and he's has no reason to punish me for my mistakes.

Xander reaches over to pick up the one the glasses, the smile still on his lips.

Getting ready to take a step back to get dinner from the kitchen, just as the glass's flies over my head, smashing into the wall behind me, while Xander grabs me tightly by the forearm. And see the anger coming off him as he stares down at me.

"That glass had you dirty fingerprints over it" He yelled in my face.

"Do you think my boss wants to drink wine out of a dirty glass. ANSWER ME"

"You stupid bitch" He spits at me. As grips my arm harder, I know it will leave bruises in the morning.

"I'm sorry Xander. I thought it was clean...I swear I did" I cried, trying to free my arm.

"Well you thought wrong didn't you-'" I barely him say, as his fist connects with my ribs. Doubling over trying to catch my breath, as he grips my arm tighter and pulls me back up to face him.

"Clean this fucking mess up now. This conversation isn't over" He hisses at me, then walks away out of the room.

Dropping to the floor, letting a single tear leak from my eye.

Am I ever going to get out of nightmare, get away from that monster?

Jumping up in sweat and looked around in a panic, taking a deep breath when I see that I'm in my bedroom and that I am safe, he isn't here with me.

Climbing out of bed and switched on the living room lights as I make my way into there.

Shaking away my fears, grabbing some water and then take a seat by the window, looking out towards the LA night lights in front me.

I hate when the nightmares sneak up on me like that. The anniversary of the worst day of my life is tomorrow and tomorrow stirs up so many feelings and memories, that sometimes its hard to focus on the good of it all.

The seven years I spent living with Xander were my worst own kind of hell and even now five years later without him being in my life, it still feels like the memory of him has a hold on me, like I'm still in that hell he put me in years ago when I was his wife, I can't break free, and I don't know how too.

He's in prison, I know that. I'm safe, I'm free and I'm strong.

I know that Xander can't hurt me anymore, but I can't escape the feeling that he's watching me, and I know that it sounds insane and crazy and maybe I am.

But the last few days, I have felt like there has been eyes on me.

And this crippling pit of darkness is living inside of my stomach, maybe I'm just being paranoid because of tomorrow's date.

I hate the anniversary; I am waiting for the phone call I get from him. The first year I answered the call, I don't remember why I did but I did. And the moment I heard his laughter , his sick voice as he taunted me about what he did, how he got away with it, how I was always his and nobody else could have me.

It brought me to my knees in fear before I hung up and rocked on the floor, I remember just staying there, crying uncontrollably, scare of my own shadow.

The years after that the calls came every year on that day, but I refused to answer them. Even when I changed my number over and over again,

somehow, he still got it.

That's how I knew that Xander will always have a hold on me, in his eyes I belong to him and only him, to him that doesn't change because he's in prison.

I fear the date but a part of me is also grateful for it.

I'm grateful for it because it's the date, I was finally freed from the monster himself.

I fear it because it was the date, he almost killed me, and I'm scared that those nightmares won't ever go away.