No Such Thing As Perfect Love (A Christian Romance Novel)

Strength to Overcome

Luke P.O.V.
He was there.
That idiot had my Chloe pressed against the wall. Despair filled her sweet face as he kissed her forcefully and dug his hands into her arm. A bruise was already beginning to blossom there.
And then he was on the ground, smirking up at me while my hands pressed against his shoulders.
"Luke!" Chloe cried in a hoarse voice.
"What are you doing?" I snarled to Sterling.
God, help me fight this anger. Don't let it consume me, I prayed.
"Why, hello, Luke Jones, glad to see you could join us," Sterling replied smoothly.
He flipped me over and sprang up, grabbing Choe's arm.
"She is mine," he threatened.
This stuff only happens in movies! God, what do I do?
"She is not yours," I argued. "She belongs to no one but God. Don't let the devil control you, Sterling."
"If the devil is controlling me, then I like it," he sneered, keeping a firm grip on Chloe.
"God doesn't want this to happen, Sterling," I continued. "He is calling to you."
Sterling would not listen.
"Let's have our dear Chloe decide who she wants to go with," Sterling decided, shoving Chloe between the two of us.
She rubbed the spot on her arm that he had grabbed and peeked at both of us in turn with haunted eyes. "How did this happen?" her face screamed.
"Remember what we talked about," Sterling threatened.
She cringed at whatever he was referring to.
"Come with me, please," I whispered gently.
She looked back and forth between us again. What had he done to her? How did that evil man hurt her?
And then she did it. My Chloe ran right towards me, throwing her arms around my shoulders and clinging to me.
"You're okay," I murmured, cautiously wrapping one arm around her.
I glared in Sterling's direction his smirk still warned of his capability.
"You have no right to be here," I warned him.
"I'll be going, then," he said arrogantly.
He turned and walked away just like that. When he was almost out of our sight, he turned around and called, with a smirk still painted on his face, "Goodbye, Chloe."
Chloe never even looked at him. After a few moments, she mumbled, "Is he gone?"
"Yes," I breathed.
With my arm still around her, I closed the door and guided her over to the couch. She slowly sat down, wincing in pain.
"Are you okay?" I asked quickly.
She averted her eyes.
"You don't have to tell me what he did if you do not want, but I will be supportive if you do," I promised.
"He . . . hit me," she admitted. "It was not often but often enough."
"Are there . . . are there bruises?" I questioned slowly.
She nodded, still looking away.
"Do you want me to take a look at it?"
Fear and hesitation covered her eyes for a moment.
"What is it?" I pressed.
She took a deep breathe before telling me, "It's just that . . I've never let a . . a man see my bare stomach before."
I had never thought of that. How often had I seen a woman's stomach like this? I mean, of course there are models and parents girls wearing bikinis, but what about a woman I actually loved?
"You don't have to if you do not want to," I said at last.
She debated the idea many times before gradually lifting her shirt up so it only revealed a bruise on her stomach. It was spread out like a horrible disease. The color showed how painful it must be to her. I reached out slowly to touch but drew back, knowing it would cause pain.
"Have you seen a doctor?" I interrogated.
"I couldn't," Chloe replied. "Sterling said if I told anyone anything about what he was doing, he would hurt them."
"You still should have told me at least," I said, thinking I could have helped.
"Luke, he beat me daily and kissed me without regret. I suffered constantly. Do you know what was worse than that? Thinking of what would happen if he hurt you. I would never be able to live with myself if I let that happen. I'm sorry that you went through pain; however, I do not regret not telling you! Excuse me for trying to prevent you from being harmed."
I was taken aback by her ourburst. Of course she was right. How could I have been so selfish? I swallowed hard.
"Would you . . . Would you let me take you to the doctor?" I whispered.
Her harsh gaze softened.
"Yes," she agreed.
"Good."
We got awkward then. The two of us sat side by side on the couch, neither knowing what to say. In one great rush, every emotion we had been suppressing for the past week swelled back. Suddenly, we were embracing each other tightly, refusing to let go. Accidentally, I brushed against her bruised stomach. When she winced, I slid back; however, she pulled me close again, clutching me as though I were the last thing left for her.
Who knows how long we stayed like that? It did not matter. What mattered was that I had my Chloe back.
Eventually, the moment ended, and you could feel the longing in the air. Reluctantly, we decided to go to the doctor in case there was a serious problem.

"Ms. Anderson," the doctor began, "you have a blunt abdominal injury. Do you know what that means?"
Chloe shook her head.
"You have internal bleeding going on in your abdominal area. Sometimes, it can be fixed by medication, but in your case, you will need surgery. It is not risky and will not take long. I can schedule in soon. You two can talk about it if you want."
With grandfatherly eyes and a gentle expression, the doctor left the room. Chloe averted her eyes.
"Chloe?" I whispered.
No response.
"It'll be okay," I assured.
"How can you say that?" she burst. "How can you sit there and say I will be okay? What if I never heal? What if I during surgery? What if . . . What if Sterling comes back?"
I said nothing. What could I have said? Instead, I draped a protective arm around my girlfriend. She leaned into me, digging her face in my shoulder to hide from the world. After a few moments, I knew I had to break the silence.
"Do you want to do the surgery?" I questioned.
She nodded.
"As soon as possible," Chloe decided.
When the doctor came back in, we scheduled a day for surgery. Chloe had no more outbursts, thankfully. By the time we got back to her apartment, she had become more accepting of the news. I was about to leave when she shyly asked me if I would stay at her house for the night. Seeing as tomorrow was Saturday, I found no problem with it. Immediately, I sat down on the couch. Chloe looked like she was ready to stay and talk, but I noticed the exhaustion hiding in her eyes.
"You are going to bed," I told her.
"Luke, please, I iust want to apologize for-"
"For what? You have nothing to be sorry for. None of this was your fault. If anyone, I should be apologizing-"
"You have nothing to be sorry for either-"
"For the way I acted when you-"
"So there is no need to-"
"Told me about what happened."
"Apologize."
By the end, we were talking at the same time, so we barely heard what the other was saying.
"Let's just go to bed," I suggested.
"Alright," Chloe replied with a slight smile.
"Goodnight, Chloe."
"Goodnight, Luke."
Before going to bed, a said a prayer for my Chloe. I was about to go to bed when I added one more thing.
And give us both strength to overcome, God. Amen.