Ruby's body was sprawled on the floor. Her head was throbbing and from the sticky wetness she felt she could tell she had a cut from hitting it on the bedpost.
She looked up at her attacker, fright evident in her gaze.
The man who was familiar yet in this moment a total stranger was hovering menacingly over her.
"How could you?" He bellowed causing her to shiver in fear. "And that in public too?" He added moving closer to her.
Involuntarily she felt her body move back. She cringed inwardly for what she knew was coming next knowing he hated it whenever she did that.
She watched as he kept moving closer.
She hadn't realized she had been moving till her back hit the wall.
"So where are you gonna run to now?" He asked cynically. " I shouldn't be the one you run away from. It should be them" he yelled hitting hard on the wall above her with a balled fist.
She felt herself shiver in fear for the umpteenth time that night.
"Stop doing that." He raked his hand through his hair seeming frustrated.
Squatting besides her, he grabbed her by the shoulder. "I'm no monster." He said. "You shouldn't be afraid of me. I'm your husband."
The darkness in his eyes seemed to have disappeared and now she was staring at the deep green eyes she was all too familiar with.
He sat down besides her and pulled her into his arms in an attempt to comfort her.
"I'm sorry baby. You know I never mean to hurt you."
Damn right he didn't. But somehow she always ended up with a bruise from him. Both physically and emotionally.
She felt his hand running down her face and tried not to shiver from fright but his frustrated sigh told her she had failed.
He stood up from beside her and went into the bathroom.
A few minutes later she heard crashing sounds and a low growl.
Folding her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them she heard herself whimper. She had been doing that a lot lately.
He came out of the bathroom looking all calm and collected with a first aid box in his hand.
Quietly he sat besides her and started treating her injuries all the while whispering his apologies.
He could treat the physical results of his actions but what would happen to her heart that ached badly from all the pain.
"I'm sorry baby" she heard him say just as she started to drift off to sleep "I just love you too damn much"
But she was too weak to rebuff it. She wanted to let him know that this wasn't what love looked like, but her body seemed to be working against her and her eyelids were already drooping.
The last thing she felt before the darkness took over was his arms wrapping around her and a tear drop on her cheeks.... But it wasn't hers.