Fight With Me (Fight and Fall) (23 page)

             
I close my eyes tightly, hating this moment. I know that I had to tell him eventually but now…shit, everything was so perfect. I should’ve known that my past would come to bite me in the ass. Secrets seem to find a way to rise up out of the grave at the most inopportune times.

             
“Aiden, I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. I just…I kept on getting cold feet and I didn’t want to upset you. I figured you would go to Arizona and raise hell. How did you find out?” I ask him.

             
“The internet,” he says ashamed and I sigh.

             
Well, what did you expect, Emma? You kind of did the same thing to him a while back. Karma is a vindictive bitch.

             
“Right before I left to find my son, I looked you up. I guess I figured I needed to get some type of closure before I left, baby. I knew I was coming back to you but I just needed to know the truth. I understand why you didn’t tell me, though,” he says running his fingers across my forehead.

             
Damn, I really wanted to just end this night on a high note but that’s just not in the cards. I need to tell him my side of what happened. The right side, the horrible side. I think he senses that I’m about to tell my story. The real reason why I had to get away and start over.

             
“About two months before I moved here, I was still struggling with the loss of Jeremiah. I started sleeping around again, but more so than when I did before I got married. In the old days it was just about having fun. After Jeremiah, I was trying to forget and I guess, punish myself for…living when he didn’t,” I sigh.

             
He nods at me, urging me to continue.

             
“Well, I was out at a bar, eerily similar to Leo’s, and I got really wasted. I got into the habit of bar hopping on the weekends and going home with strangers. I’m not proud of it and it was dangerous as hell, but I didn’t fucking care. I almost wanted something to happen to me, if that makes any sense,” I say to him, trying to make him understand my reckless behavior.

             
“Anyway, this guy comes up to the bar and starts talking to me. We laughed, he bought me a few drinks, and then he tells me how sexy I am and how much he wants me,” I say shuddering.

             
“I was drunk at this point and he seemed cute and nice enough, so I agreed to go home with him. He walks me outside to the parking lot out back and puts me in the passenger’s seat of his car. He starts kissing me and for some reason I’m just not really feeling it. An alarm in my head went off. The entire situation just felt wrong and I knew that I needed to stop what I was doing. I was still liquored up but my subconscious was screaming at me. I gently pushed him away and said I was sorry and that I couldn’t leave with him,” I say remembering with clarity.

             
“I tried to get out of the car but he grabbed my wrist and put my hand on his…I just got pissed and told him to fuck off and that I wasn’t interested anymore. He pretty much called me a bitch and a tease and I just flipped out. I called him an asshole and when I tried to get away, he started to kiss me again, roughly this time. He practically smothered me with his mouth and I couldn’t scream to get help. He grabbed my wrists in his hand, while he unzipped his pants with the other,” I say, closing my eyes on the memory.

             
“My body just felt so heavy from the alcohol. I felt helpless. Almost like in a dream, when you’re running but in slow motion or treading slowly in water. That’s exactly how I felt.”

             
“He finally climbed on top of me from the driver’s seat, and he started trying to get inside of me and I…I finally screamed at the top of my lungs. He slapped me and told me to shut the fuck up. I started struggling to get away from underneath him and before I knew it, he was being dragged out of the car.”

             
“I was shaking in fear when I saw the bouncer from the bar grab him by his shirt. They started arguing and the bouncer kept saying how he was going to call the police. The only problem was that they were already here. We were looking at him.”

             
“
He
was the police. He was a fucking off-duty police officer and he tried to rape me in a damn parking lot! I just remember him telling the bouncer to not say a word and if he did, he would regret it. He let the officer go but said that he was going to call the police anyway. He said he couldn’t be intimidated or threatened. The guy just laughed and I remember that I started to cry. He was just so smug and heartless about the whole thing.”

“
The bouncer helped me out of the car and dialed nine-one-one and when two officers arrived, they saw the off-duty officer and they practically bumped fists. They were all close buddies and kept saying how I was just confused because I was drunk. The bouncer kept trying to back me up but they ran a background check on him and he had a few priors. They told him to say that he didn’t see anything or he would go back to jail and lose his job. I was so fucking angry and frustrated, I tried to attack the officer again. I didn’t care what happened to me, I just wanted justice and I was sick of him getting away with what he did. The officers arrested me for an attack on an off-duty police officer and drove me down to the station,” I say snorting.

“Can you fucking
believe that? I was nearly raped, and
I
was the one being arrested and treated like a fucking criminal! By then I started to slowly sober up and requested to talk to a female officer, because I didn’t trust the guys who were his friends. Because I was making such outrageous
allegations
about the officer, they finally complied with my request and I told someone what he did to me.”

“Long story short, there wasn’t
enough proof. My word wasn’t enough because he was the law and the other officers pretty much blackmailed the bouncer to keep quiet. I hired an investigator to try to dig up information about the guy, because I knew that he was going to do what he did to me to another woman, if he hadn’t already. I had to do everything in my power to see that he was punished. But it didn’t go that way, unfortunately for me,” I sigh.

“
The guy started accusing me of harassing him and falsely accusing him of rape and it became a whole sordid media thing, locally at least. I got threats, nasty phone calls, and messages. I got rid of my Facebook account, dumped my phone, anything to remain anonymous. Everybody, except for my mom and step-dad, thought I was a liar who targeted a respected officer. My one night stands were criticized and the fact that I was recently widowed didn’t help my case either. Everybody labeled me a whore, and I just couldn’t remain in town any longer. It wasn’t healthy for me or my sanity. Nothing was really keeping me there, even though I do miss my mom very much. I decided I needed to leave and start fresh somewhere where nobody knew of the scandal. I stupidly got drunk again the day before I left on the Greyhound bus and slept with Jeremiah’s best friend. I went to his place to give him a few things of Jeremiahs before I left and the next thing I know, I’m crying, a little tipsy, and hooking up with him. That’s the mistake I was telling you about. It didn’t mean anything to either of us because we were both distraught, so I just said my goodbyes and didn’t look back.”

             
I blow out a deep breath, finally feeling free for telling him my secret.

             
“I know it’s stupid, but I feel responsible for not fighting harder, for not putting him away. He’s probably assaulted other women and it kills me to imagine that,” I sigh.

             
I look up him, noticing a dark look come over his face. He seems so serious and stoic.

             
“Baby, he will never touch another woman again. Not you, not anyone,” he says with conviction.

             
How can he be so sure? It’s as if he’s talking adamantly.

             
“After I found my son, I stopped by to see him, Emma. I had my P.I. dig up information on him,” he says seriously.

             
My eyes widen by his confession. What the fuck? How did he not tell me this?

             
“I may not have protected you from Marcus, but I made sure that that man would suffer for the things he did to you, Emma. You will never have to spare him a second thought again. I told you that nobody hurts what’s mine. He’s paid for his mistakes,” he whispers.

             
“Aiden, what did you do?” I whisper.

             
“He’s gone, Emma. That’s all you need to know. He’s gone and he’s never coming back,” he says stiffly.

             
Oh my God! Is what I’m thinking really what I’m hearing? Because from the sound of it, it sounds like he hurt him. I know that Aiden said he would kill anybody who harmed me but still. I didn’t think he actually meant it. I should be frightened but I’m not. If anything, I’m scared that he will be caught for what he did.

             
“Aiden, if you did what I think you did, aren’t you worried? I mean, what if it gets back to you? He tried to rape me but do you think that…hurting him was the answer?” I ask, completely shell-shocked.

             
“You have nothing to worry about. There isn’t a way to track me back to him. And as for his punishment…there are unspeakable things he did to deserve what he got, Emma. I won’t ever talk about this with you again, but just know that he was an evil human being who got what was coming to him in the end. I don’t want what I told you to change me in your eyes. I’m not a saint and I’ve done things I don’t want you to know about, but I’m not even close to him. I only want to protect you.”

             
I nod at him, knowing that I don’t want to ask him anymore questions. There are some things better left to the unknown.

             
“Do you still love me?” he asks worriedly.

             
“Of course I do, Aiden. If anything, I love you more. I feel so safe with you. I know for a fact now that you will protect me in any way possible. Just promise me that you won’t take things into your hands again. I don’t want to lose you,” I say into his neck, wrapping my arms around him.

             
He stiffens in my arms, probably realizing that I’m now referring to Marcus.

             
“I’ll do what I need to do. Marcus, any man, won’t hurt you again. That’s all I can say about that. You need to let me do what’s right. Never think that I’ll be taken away from you,” he whispers.

             
He looks at me, a question on his face.

             
“Are you worried that he won’t be found? That he’ll come back and hurt you, Emma?” he asks seriously.

             
I swallow nervously. Yeah, I am. Every fucking day I think of him coming back to finish what he started. I’m the one piece in his plan that didn’t work out. He’s a vindictive man and I have a feeling we will meet again one day.

             
“You are, aren’t you?” he says sadly.

             
I nod at him, not wanting to elaborate any further on my fears.

             
“I will always be here with you and if I’m not, the security alarm on the house will make sure nobody can get in. I’ve taken every measure to make sure you’re secure. I still have people looking for him, baby. We’ll catch him soon and he’ll be put away for a long time, just like Todd and the other guys who hurt you. I’ll ruin him like I ruined them. I’ll deal with him before I hand him to the police. He needs a taste of what he did to you,” he says darkly.

             
“I don’t want to talk about anything more tonight. I just want you to hold me, Aiden. I just want to think about being your wife,” I whisper.

             
“Okay, Emma. I’d like that too. All I want right now is to be close to you. Come here,” he says as he sits back on the bed, opening his arms to me.

             
I place my head on his chest, as we lace our fingers together. He rubs his thumb across my ring, obviously pleased by it. I see his left arm resting against his stomach and I grab it, kissing his wrist lightly. The bandage still is wrapped around his wrist, but it looks like the bleeding stopped.

I close my eyes, realizing how much different this night
could’ve turned out. Instead of being engaged to the man I love, I could’ve been planning a funeral. I shiver, hating the thought.

             
“Baby, what’s wrong?” he asks worriedly.

             
“I almost lost you tonight. I would’ve never been able to kiss you or touch you again. I already lost and buried Jeremiah. I won’t lose you too,” I say as my voice breaks.

             
“I’m sorry, baby. I just fucking lost it when I saw you with Colin, the way you were looking at each other, I…I’m fucked up and I just couldn’t fathom you ever loving me. It pains me knowing that I almost died before I heard you say the words I always wanted to hear. I promise you, I will never even think about doing what I did again. You and my son will have the best version of me. I won’t jeopardize that ever again. I’m sick, Emma. In my head, the pain just became unbearable, but I want to get better. Just knowing that you’re by my side makes me better,” he says softly.