Akarana POV:

Before i could react i was pulled in towards a hard male chest, and then slammed against the wall, Kane was obviously angry as his body was taut as he had his hand around my neck "Where were you?", he spat at me as he held on to his patience, "You were suppose to be home at 2am, but not you," kane emphasized his point by pressing his nose to mine as he took another deep breath, i knew the moment his pupils dilated that he was beyond reason, i didn't even have time to flinch when i recieved the first blow to my face and i swayed to the side.

I lifted my hand to the spot he hit and just stared silently at him, because saying anything just angered him more, as he lifted his arm again to strike me again splitting my lip open, striking me again and again until i had crumbled to the ground, he just started kicking me in my stomach as i covered my face and head to avoid being struck.

"From now on you stay here you ugly bitch, that's what happens when you dont do what i say," kane spat as he gave one final kick, he decide he had enough and left the apartment.

As i waited for the pain to subside, i lay on the floor which felt like hours before i slowly pulled myself off the floor and slowly made my way to the bedroom. As i laid on the bed i just cried, cried for all the years i fought to keep my family together for the sake of my son, i grew up in a loving home with both my parent's and Kane was the opposite, he grew up in foster care with his brother, being moved around a lot as a child. i couldn't help but want the best for my son, that I fought against everyone in my family to be with Kane and even after I had Adam I continue to fight for my little family. After today i realised that if i stayed here he would kill me and may start on my son, i needed a plan and fast.

For the past 5 years i had been in an relationship with Kane who i thought was an aspiring man ready to embark on life but as i reflected he was a lazy man willing to spend every last cent on drugs, cigarettes and play game all day while i dropped off my son at kindy and headed to work each day. He didnt see the need to get a job when he could live off me, his circle of friends i thought where all hard working group of guys, working hard and managed to put food on the table, how wrong I was when i first encountered there secret. Kane was the one who funded there little drug syndicate and thought he could live off it until he had a taste and became hooked, that day our lives changed in a different direction.

Lying there I knew what i needed to do and sent one message "I Need You" within minutes of me sending it, my phone rang, "Tell me the details and how much time," my eldest brother spoke, i gave him as much information as i could and as fast as my body would allow me within breaths "Are you injured," my second eldest brother spoke through the phone "I can do this," i wheezed between breaths "I put myself here, i will get out, i just need your help, i need a two hour head start," i spoke tryna keep my ribs from hurting anymore then they already do, when my eldest brother spoke again, he had arranged everything. Knowing that i hadnt spoken to my family in two years, i knew that they would fly to get me but i didn't have enough time "Its okay, just get to the airport, its a two hour drive from where you live, be careful," i quickly hung up with my brothers and made all my arrangements i needed.

Over the past five years we lived with Kane in his 2 bedroom apartment, which at the time he had a stable job,earned a great salary and we were both financially independent until i decided to place Adam into childcare when kane demeanor started to change, the once loving and attentive kane had changed into a mean drunk over the past 2 years, he would strike and beat me when ever he felt like it, he would spend all our money on himself, leave us without food and he would sometimes leave for days at a time.

I just recently had acquired another bank account, separate card which a bulk of my wages goes into, i don't pay for rent as that is what Kane pays for out of his government subsidy payment. I was injured and I needed every bit of strength to do what i needed and drifted off to sleep. My passport will expire in a few weeks and adams one will also run out soon so it had be now or never.

when I opened my eyes I spotted kane who was casually siting in front of his ps4 while smoking a cigarette "Seriously your just waking up", kane sneered at me, as he slid his eyes in my direction, for the first time i just sat there staring at him silently that i closed my eyes against him, in my mind i could see Kane the one sitting in front of me and how his life style is slowly stealing his once perfect features, his once prominent hike in the business world too looking a bit gaunt, his hair is oily, unemployed and due to his unhygienic self, the sex is next to none as he is to high or to drunk to get arouses and that is what brings my mind fully awake.

I slowly open my eyes again, taking a shallow breath I slowly sat up and got out of bed "Being useless again," kane sneered from his position on the couch, I made my way across the room to the bathroom as fast as i could move, before getting through my morning routine. Getting myself ready for the day before getting adam up and ready for school, while making his school lunch 'I have a family day out with work today and i want to take Adam?", i spoke to Kane as adam sat at the table, "Would you come this year?", i asked kane. This year i was selected to organize our yearly Family Day Out that will double my yearly bonus and i was banking on this day for six months "I thought i said you are to stay here!", Kane snapped as he looked at me, "This is important, I was selected this year and its worth double my bonus", i said as calmly as i did due to my ribs hurting so much.

He stood up and slapped me across the face, "You aren't going!"' he spat as he gripped my hair and pulled my face inches from him, although at this point my body was aching and I knew I had a very slim chance in pulling it off but I had to pace what energy I had.

"You gave me nothing but bills," he ranted, "I gave up everything for you, i provided for our family when adam came, i gave you a home and your family had to be ungrateful of me," he spoke as he stepped away from me with a disgusted look on his face, "I dont want a useless bitch who can't even do anything right," kane began to rant"You think they want you back? who is going to want you? Your not even worth a second look?," he taunted, i knew that it was to hurt me but he didn't realise i had become numb to his words, as he released me to have a shower.

I cleaned up the kitchen and turned to look at my son, "Do you trust Mama?" i asked my son in soft voice, as cleaned up around him, a gentle nod of his head was what i got, so i hugged my boy close to me "I will keep you safe," i whispered against my sons hair as i held my son softly before releasing him and keeping to our routine.

When kane stepped out of the bathroom and back into room, he looked over at me "Cover your ugly face, its making me sick looking at you," he said as he walked into the bedroom, "I need to go around to a mates house, I shouldn't be more then a hour," he spoke as he moved around getting himself ready, "Can we come with you?," i asked turning to face him, waiting for his answer silently trying to be calm. He paused staring at the both of us, "I am getting picked up," he said, as he picked up his set of keys, "Rest today, I am sorry for lastnight, but you just know how to push my buttons," he said as he strode out the door and left.

As soon as i saw the car pull away from the house, i watched it turn the corner when I put my plan into action, i walked briskly to the closest cupboard and pulled my duffle bag out and started loading all my important documents that i will need, passport for adam and I, drivers license, birth certificate for both of us, ird numbers, car keys that we will need and a few bags that i had already packed and loaded all the necessities into the car, then quickly went in to the house hustled my son into warmer clothes, then placed him in the car and without a second thought i stabbed kane's 4WD tires with a kitchen knife punctuing all four tyres, as i climbed into my car and quickly left.

I knew that kane wouldn't be gone for long and when he realised i had left with adam he would be extremely pissed and come after us. I had to work fast because in order to put distance between myself and Kane, we needed to be on the road and fast. "Mama what are you doing?", adams small voice asked as i quickly loaded the car and started the engine "We are leaving?," I said as i navigated out of the small town we lived in avoiding bumping or driving past Kane "sit back baby and close your eyes," i said as i swiftly avoided all main routes to the highway while being cautious of my surroundings, when we hit the highway entrance and i just pushed the pedal harder and fled past the town i had called home for the past eight years. I never made any friends because everyone knew Kane and his group of friends, no one dared to insult.

As i reflected back on the past 8 years I was 18 years old, when i came to the university i always wanted to attend, 3 years later I met Kane my last year and I had just turned 21 and he was 23 i thought i had met my soulmate, i was so in love that i cut off my parent, separate my live away from home to my life of university and Kane. I had only returned home 5 times since i met kane and he held himself above everyone especially against my family, he always had a reason for why he doesnt want to visit with them or always complained about them visiting us. I see it now as a blessing cause he already tainted enough in my life. Trying to go faster and not get pulled over while being safe, i kept my eyes peeled looking around and trying to keep kane in mind because the consequences of me leaving him with my son will be a deadly beating for me and i will not let my son live a life of struggle.

Due to the extensive state of me i knew i couldnt show up to my family like this, so my brothers offer me a place in Wellington until i am healed enough to fly up to Auckland where my family all live. I am the 3rd eldest of 5 children. i have 2 older brothers Rainiera Jade and Quinn Tana and 2 younger brothers Sebastian Ryan and Lucas Sky. I am an only girl and my name Akarana Kiera but my family just call me Raana and my parents have been married for over 35 years.

We had been on the road for nearly 2 hours when i saw the directions to the airport my brother had booked our flight. Upon entered the next town, i started following the directions to the airport and when i had managed to park it in a reserved spot i found a trolly and unloaded all of my belongings, "Are we going to be okay mama?,"adams small voice spoke as he climbed out of the car, I squatted to his level and spoke my absolute heart to him "Yes my son we are going to be fine daddy will not be able to hurt mama anymore okay" i said with a heavy heart, all i really wanted to do was cry, because i was terrified if Kane found us now.

My phone started ringing again, looking at the caller I.D i notice an overseas number "Hello," i asked a little breathless as i locked the car and slowly made my way inside the airport, "Raana there is a rental agency once you exit the carpark, take the keys to the reception and she will give you an envelope with some cash, new phone with a sim card, loaded and ready to use, and a shower card to use the utilities in the boarding lounge there and when you reach wellington airport. Hurry up, be careful and come home to us safely," my eldest brother spoke gently.

I listened to his instructions, and followed suit while pushing my trolley to the rental company, because of the long drive i knew that my marks were becoming visible but i just kept my head up and did what i need to at the rental company, before heading inside to get our bags weighed, tagged and ticket printed before i made my way to my designated boarding gate, when my phone rung again this time it was Kane's number that popped up once i had found a spot i sat down and answered his call "I want all your money in the account right now?," his voice filtered through the phone, "What about the rent? How will we pay for that, we are 2 months behind?," i asked faking concern, as i saw the shower block, "That is not my concern", his booming voice echo through the phone as he hung up the phone, pulling the phone apart i pulled the back off and the battery threw it in a rubbish bin beside me, then dismantled the remaining sim card, stomping on the screen before throwing that into a different rubbish bin.

I made our way into the shower block, using the key card, the door unlocked with a swish and we entered swiftly. "We are going to shower so that we can go have a hot kai before our plane leaves", i spoke to my son as he saw the shower stall fill up with steam, i slowly stepped in first and adjusted the shower temperature so not to burn adam. As the hot water ran down our bodies it was the first time i could enjoy a nice hot steaming shower that i scrubbed adam first and then myself so that we could at least feel more human.

When i finished i stepped out if the shower and stood in front of the mirror and surveyed my injuries, when adam stepped towards me and started applying medicine to all my wounds, quick thinking i had adam wrap my ribs with a wrap to help with my pain, changed our clothes and made ourselves look and feel a bit better. I stared at my five year old son who was a spitting image of his father "This is too keep us both safe, I need to provide a better life for us and we don't deserve this, I will keep us safe," i breathed after applying my make up and made our way out of the showering block to our boarding gate. Finding a spot, we sat down and i opened the envelope my brother had prepared for me, i couldn't help the tears that slid down my face, i stared at my beautiful child and the sobs that racked my body were as if kane destroyed my life, stole apart of me I will never get back all because I loved him with everything I had. I placed everything i had to make it work with Kane, i endured going without things, in order to make him happy, endure being all because i believed he really loved us.

I have my masters degree in Business. I was suppose to join my brothers in there business after I got my masters Degree, but due to my foolish ideas i thought i was in love and i was on top of the world, i hurt my family when i decided to stay with Kane and now here i am as I slowly stood lifting my son with our carry on bags and lined up behind all the other passengers, as we scanned our tickets we all boarded and were seated in a calmly manner, as i held my son and stared out of the plane "I will keep us safe Adam and when you are old enough to find daddy then, we will deal with it then, okay!," i spoke gently to my son as he stared silently out the window "Who will keep you safe, if he finds us?," adam asked as tear slipped down his face "I have very huge brothers and they will protect us forever," i spoke matter-of-factly as the plane then started to lift off the ground, i held my son as he silently sobbed "Will he ever forgive us," adam small voice spoke, as the city got further and further away "Will you ever forgive him?," i spoke gently as we sat staring out the window.

Wellington International Airport, New Zealand, walking out the doors i spotted my brothers ansd the tears just slipped down my face as Quinn Tana was the first to envelope me on a hug, I said very gently "I ... told ... you ... i ... could .. do ... it," i stammered in between my tears, as i heard soft chuckles i turned to my eldest brother and just realised how many years i had missed out on, "My son, these are your uncles," i spoke as i saw as i reach for my son, "Why dis they make you cry?, adam asked as he stare at my tears stained face, "Cause mummy missed them and its been a very long time," i spoke as i hugged Raniera, "I need to go file a police report to get a restraining order and a doctor to get more medicine.," i spoke as i followed behind my brothers out of the airport, Quinn tana held his nephew so gently that my son looked real stiff in his uncles arms that i had reached out towards my son "relax and close your eyes, we are going to be okay," i spoke as we reached Raniera truck and climbed in.