As he leaned in, their lips met, the image of the devil flashed before her. ignoring her intuition, she dove in. Finding Susan
This piece was written whilst exploring non-fiction writing and is based on real events.
It was Valentine’s Day, but instead of roses, Bessie was lying in the emergency room, her body black and blue, everything hurt, and each breath was excruciating. “I’m going to die!”, those had been the words screaming in her head hours before, and she wondered if that was still true. Shifting her dazed mind back to before it happened, they had enjoyed a lazy Sunday morning with breakfast in bed and later that day had gone for a walk, it had been a cold but sunny day, and the countryside had looked inviting. They had chatted and laughed for hours and talked about their plans, it had been a lovely day, and that evening after enjoying a meal together, they’d snuggled up to watch a movie. Her body recalled his gentle caress as she thought back to that night when they’d made slow, passionate love, then laid in each other’s arms, whispering words of love, as they drifted off to sleep.
Bessie’s mind flickered, confused, why had she awoke to pain exploding across her face? Then she recalled his face and the smile that made her blood run cold as it had then. The man who had been gentle and loving only hours before had gone, replaced with rage and hatred. She could almost feel the blows that had broken her ribs, as she tried to breathe, holding back the sobs as the memories came flooding back. Her throat tightened, he had tried strangling her, and that’s when she’d known he was going to kill her. She felt shame rising as she recalled begging him to stop, pleading with him, but he’d just laughed at her, pinning her down on the bed. It was then she heard a voice in her head telling her to fight and remembered the pain that had torn through her body as she used all her strength to throw him off. She had managed to get to her feet and face him, fear coursing through her, but he’d just looked at her, said sorry, and left, that’s when she’d called the police and an ambulance.
As Bessie lay there, machines beeping, she could hear the doctor talking to the police, asking if she had been involved in a car accident due to the multiple injuries she had sustained. The officer replied, no, that it had been a domestic violence incident. The doctor sounded shocked, saying it was one of the worst cases he’d seen, that’s when she heard another officer saying it was good that they had found and arrested him. Tears fell, as Bessie asked herself, ‘What the hell had happened? Why had the man who claimed to have loved her, beaten, and tortured her for hours? Each punch filled with hate, every word dripping with venom.
*He spent just eight weeks in prison and Bessie spent over nine months recovering from the injuries he had inflicted and years healing from the trauma. *
Thank you for reading
Finding Susan
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, please seek help and call your local domestic abuse helpline or the police.
"Whispers of Nature, An Adoptee Echoes." 
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