A BROKEN WOMAN

~Kelsey

"Who's this?" My husband's groggy voice sounded over the phone, he made no effort to hide his irritation.

I clutched the payphone in the dimly lit hospital corridor, my fingers trembling as I held onto the phone like my life depended on it.

"Honey, it's Kelsey," I whispered, my throat dry from crying.

He cussed under his breath before responding.

"What do you want?" he asked, his tone shifting from irritation to outright disgust.

I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. "Please, can you come pick me up? The baby, it—" My voice cracked.

"I'm busy," he blurted before hanging up.

I stared at the receiver in stunned silence. The emptiness in my chest expanded and grief swallowed me whole.

Was this his way of showing me he didn't care if our baby died or survived?

Marcus had never wanted kids, but I did. Somewhere in my heart, I believed a kid would save our failing marriage.

"Ma'am," a nurse's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"You need to get back to your room. Doctor Chen wants to see you."

Her eyes held so much pity and it made me feel worse about my condition.

I forced a small smile, nodded, and shuffled back to my sterile prison.

A woman in the next room had gone into labour and her screams reminded me of what I lost

The scent of antiseptic and iron made my stomach churn. I needed to get out of here before I lose my mind.

I threw my sweater over my hospital gown and slipped out of my ward unnoticed.

Luckily, all the nurses were very occupied as they hurried to attend to some teenagers that had gotten into a car accident.

The smell of blood from their wounds nearly sent me to my knees but I managed to maintain my composure.

I reached the hospital gates and slipped out without the security noticing.

The streets were alive with activities. Fast taxis and passerbys who stared at me like I was something out of a freak show.

A shiny black Mercedes sped past me, then slowed down.

My heart lurched as it began to reverse towards where I was standing.

Marcus would kill me if one of his associates saw me looking like a disheveled, desperate mess.

Panic seized me. I began to flag down random cars until, mercifully, an elderly woman pulled over.

"Are you alright, love?" She asked as she scanned me through her thin glasses.

I nodded, too drained to speak.

The ride was short, filled with my paranoid glances at the rearview mirror to be sure I wasn't being followed.

The woman dropped me off near the bus stop. I offered to buy her gas but she turned me down and invited me for dinner.

I barely muttered a thank you before she drove off.

I turned toward the large gates of my husband’s mansion. The security opened the gates without question and starred at me as I made my way to the front door.

The sound of loud laughter froze me in my path. I inched closer to the door and the sounds became more audible.

Marcus wasn't alone. He was with a woman.

I took a deep breath and twisted the large door knob with shaky hands. The door slid open, revealing my husband laying on a woman’s lap.

Not just any woman, my sister!

Hailey pushed Marcus off and scrambled up, covering her bare chest with her palm as she gathered her belongings that were scattered around.

It felt like my world was coming to an end. My body shook violently as I took in the sight before me.

It felt unreal. Hailey hated him. After my father had forced me to marry Marcus and save him from bankruptcy, Hailey was the only one that stood against it. She had literally called me a sold off commodity on my wedding day and had caused a horrible scene during the ceremony.

Realisation hit me like a hard brick. She didn't do all those things because she cared about me.

She did it because she wanted Marcus.

This was too much to take in.

For a moment, I swayed, gripping the wall for support. But I would never give them the satisfaction of seeing me break apart.

"Good to see you too, Hailey," I said, my voice eerily calm as I regained my composure and walked to where my husband was seated.

Marcus reeked of alcohol, his eyes were blood shot and he could barely keep his head upright.

"Kelsey,please....i -" Hailey stammered.

I held up a hand, silencing her. "Get out of my home."

She stepped forward, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Please, I know what this looks like—"

"I don’t want to have you thrown out, so leave on your own." I tried to keep my voice steady, but inside, I was crumbling.

She hesitated before nodding, grabbing her shoes and bags with shaking hands.

I wanted to ask why. To demand an explanation. But what good would it do? No answer could unbreak me.

The door slammed shut behind her and Marcus stood up immediately.

"You sent my guest away," Marcus slurred, tilting his head at me.

I turned to him, rage bubbling beneath my skin. "I was having a miscarriage, and you were screwing my sister?" My voice shook with fury.

His expression remained blank.

"I've been faithful to you, Marcus. Where did I ever go wrong?" I cried.

He yawned. "I'm hungry. Fix me something to eat."

The words hit me like a slap.

I watched, stunned, as he staggered toward the stairs, disappearing without another glance.

What a fool? If my father wasn't such a reckless spender, he would never have been able to breathe near me, talk more of humiliating me and treating me like garbage.

I balled my fists till my knuckles turned white. What exactly did women do to cheating husbands?

How would I make him regret what he had done?

I sighed heavily and walked to the kitchen to get his meal ready.

I plated his dinner as quickly as I could, the constant idea of maybe adding a little more salt or hot sauce just to teach him a lesson, crossing my mind several times.

As I tossed the plate into the microwave, I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around my waist and even though my brain wanted me to push him away, my heart wanted him.

"I'm sorry," Marcus whispered into my ear.

I felt repulsed by the sound of his voice but I managed to keep my emotions at bay.

"I love you. Don't ever forget that," he murmured, pressing kisses along my neck.

My grip on the kitchen island tightened.

"Our baby died, Marcus." I sighed as I tried to pull away from him.

"And you slept with my sister."

"We can always make another baby," he said casually, his hand roughly squeezing my backside.

Nausea surged through me and I pulled away from him. Was he out of his mind?

"Marcus, stop!" I snapped.

His expression darkened as anger flashed through his dark gray eyes.

He grabbed my arm, his fingers biting into my skin as he pulled me closer to him . "I am your husband. Your only purpose is to please me."

"Let me go," I whimpered as I tried to break free from his grip.

He yanked my hair, dragging me closer.

"Your body belongs to me," he growled. "If I say I want it, you spread your legs like the whore you are."

A sob escaped my throat as he shoved me against the kitchen island, knocking the air from my lungs.

"Strip!" He commanded as he stalked me like a feral predator.

"Please don’t do this," I pleaded as tears fell from my eyes.

A slap cracked across my face, the metallic taste of blood filling my mouth instantly.

I struggled, clawed at him, but he was just too strong.

"I’ll have the cleaners and security take turns on you until you're so ruined no man would want to touch you" he sneered, unfastening his belt.

Panic surged through my veins.

With the last of my strength, I rammed my knee into his groin.

He bellowed in pain, staggering back as he nursed his bruised manhood.

"I will kill you, Kelsey!" he roared, lunging towards me.

Fear gripped me and I scrambled for an empty wine bottle.

I hurled it at his head. Glass shattered everywhere and blood seeped through his hair to his forehead.

He collapsed to the ground, groaning in pain. He still managed to reach for me and drag me to the floor.

Despite my struggle, he got untop of me and began hitting me until my body became numb to the pain.

My vision blurred and my hope faltered.

I was going to die and nobody would know what happened to me.

My eyes caught a small knife that had fallen to the ground after Marcus had pushed me.

With a trembling hand, I grasped the handle and plunged it deep into his abdomen.

He gasped, his eyes widening in shock as blood gushed over his hands from his abdomen.

For the first time, I saw fear in his eyes and it was beyond terrifying.

What had I done?

Terror seized me, my chest risings and falling as I tried to catch my breath.

I watched as Marcus twitched violently, blood spewing out of the wound as he pressed his palm against his abdomen.

After a few seconds, he went still and I screamed in horror as his hands dropped to his sides.

He was dead.

I had killed my husband..

Without a second thought, I did the one thing my mind could think of at that moment..

I ran....