“Oh, God,” I moaned as I got the first glance of the wreck our place was after Aaron’s rage. My grandmother’s treasured blue glass vase lay shattered on the floor near the couch where he’d thrown it at my head after I hesitated with my answer to some question I couldn’t remember now. I’d had that vase since she gave it to me right before she died, and now it was gone, smashed into a hundred splintered pieces.
I picked up the bits of blue glass from the carpet, cutting my fingers as I collected the shards of the most important possession I owned, my mind numb. How had things gotten to this point? In just ten months, Aaron had turned into a monster. Sweet and caring when we met, he’d changed overnight when we moved in together. After dating three months, he went from the man I loved who doted on me to the man I feared would kill me one day.
Scanning the room for my phone, I saw it lying face down near the coffee table. I bent down and picked it up, turning it on as I prayed to God it still worked after Aaron bounced it off the wall. A crack ran diagonally across the screen, but miraculously, the home screen appeared after a few moments.
Gemma’s number was on speed dial, so I just pressed 2 and hoped the call went through. Her phone rang, and a feeling of relief washed over me. Gemma would help. She always did.
“Hey, Abbi, what’s up?” she asked in her usual sweet voice.
“I was wondering if I could take you up on your offer to stay with you for a little bit. I think I need to leave here.”
“Oh, honey, what happened? Are you okay? Did he hit you again?”
“He’s coming back in a few minutes, Gemma. Can you come get me?”
She instantly kicked into protective mode. “I’m coming right now, Abbi. I want you to stay on the phone with me until I get there, okay? If he comes in, hang up and call 9-1-1. I’ll call too so the cops know to come quick.”
“Okay.”
“I’m getting in my car now, so I’m just a few miles away. While you’re waiting, gather up some clothes, honey. We’ll take whatever we can and find someone to help us get the rest of your stuff later.”
I made my way around the glass that lay all over the floor to the bedroom to get some clothes. My head throbbed with every step as I struggled to find what I needed.
“My eye hurts, Gemma. It’s hard to see through my left eye.”
“I’m driving as fast as I can, Abbi. It won’t be long now. If I’m not there when he gets back, I need you to promise me you’ll call 9-1-1. You can’t let him hit you anymore.”
As I tried to find something to wear, I remembered Aaron had thrown out nearly all my clothes that morning because he’d sworn I’d cheated on him. All that was left in the drawers and the closet was a bridesmaid gown and two sweaters with holes in them. The sight of a closet full of all those empty hangers was too much, and tears began to flow down my cheeks.
He’d taken everything away from me.
“Abbi, what’s wrong? Why are you crying? Is he there? Hang up and call the cops now!”
I slumped against the side of the bed and let the tears come. “No, he’s not here. It’s just that I don’t have anything left. He took all my clothes and threw them out. I have nothing to wear except the jeans and sweatshirt I’ve got on now.”
“Oh, sweetie, don’t worry. We’ll get you something to wear. You can borrow my clothes until then. We’re about the same size, so don’t cry. I’m turning onto your street now, so grab what you need and I’ll get you out of there.”
A few minutes later, I heard a car pull up in front of the apartment, and fear tore through me at the thought that Aaron had come back so soon. Struggling to stand, I got back up on my feet and prepared to call the police. The sound of the door opening made me freeze where I stood, but in seconds I saw Gemma’s sweet face appear in the doorway.
Her smile quickly faded as she got her first look at the aftermath of his rage on my face. As she came toward me, I saw in her eyes how bad I must look.
“Oh, honey, are you okay? Does it hurt enough to go to the emergency room?” she asked as she examined my broken and bruised face.
I hung my head, ashamed of what I’d let him do to me yet again. “Please let’s go, Gemma. I need to leave here. I didn’t get anything packed, though.”
She sprang into action, clearing off my dresser into her purse and grabbing whatever underwear and bras she could lay her hands on. “I’ve got some things here. Whatever you need, I’ll get it for you. We need to go now, honey.”
Nodding, I quietly said, “Okay.”
Looking around, I knew this might be the last time I saw this place I’d called home for the last six months. I’d loved this apartment when we first moved in with its new carpet and freshly painted walls. Aaron had promised we’d make a life together in this place.
Gently, she guided me out to her car, and as I watched my home fade into the distance, she drove me away to hers where for at least that night I could be safe.
I woke up hours later on her living room couch, every muscle and bone in my body aching so much I wanted to cry, but I feared that would hurt even more. Gemma sat in a chair nearby ready to offer a glass of water and some painkillers she had left over from when she had a tooth taken out months before.
She placed two large white pills in my hand and smiled. “If I remember correctly, Vicodin killed most of my pain then. Hopefully, they’re still good.”
Popping them into my mouth, I took a gulp of water and washed them down, hoping they’d work quickly to ease the pain that seemed to be everywhere in my body. Sighing, I lay back down against the pillow, loving the coolness against my battered cheek. “Thanks. If they knock me out, know that I’m not trying to be a rude guest.”
Her dark green eyes lit up, and she flashed me one of her terrific smiles. “Never. You rest and when you wake up later you can have something to eat. I’ll make you those rice balls you like.”
I looked over at her as she tried to remember what they were called. “Arancini. That’s what the rice balls are called. Aren’t you Italian? Shouldn’t you know that?”
She made a face and flipped her jet black hair off her shoulder. “Yes, I’m a proud Italian woman, but that doesn’t mean I know those rice ball things are called Arancini. I’ll make my world famous sauce too. Remember how much you loved it that one time I made it for you?”
I closed my eyes and smiled at the memory of Gemma’s Italian dinner party months before. Aaron and I had just begun dating then, and her dinner had been one of his first times meeting my friends. Everyone loved him, except Gemma. Even from that first night, she’d sensed something about him she didn’t like.