Member-only story
Bruised (Micro Short Story)
For Domestic Violence Awareness Month
She always made excuses for the bruises, but now the bruises covered her face, her lips cracked. In his eyes, she deserved the fist-sized marks on her face. It was he who had the problem, not her, his anger was a weapon.
In the absence of the baby growing in her belly, she may have succumbed to his anger, but now she had more to think about than herself.
She was going to build her own life, away from him. When he got home tonight, she would be long gone, a name change, hidden far away, all ties to her former life gone. They would probably think he had killed her, but this was the way it had to be.
Her soul hurt at the sight of the bruises. Neither she nor their child were going to be a victim any longer. She had taken a long time to understand he didn’t deserve this child, and she didn’t deserve the bruises. In the past, she blamed herself for his actions.
One day she found courage to call a hotline, a hotline that would help her escape, or die trying, but she was not going to be his punching bag.
She had learned to use silence, but now it was time to escape.
When he realized he had lost control of her, he shot himself. Unable to cope with the fact that he had lost control, he had done what he thought he could control, his life and his death.
Copyright ©️ Michelle R Kidwell
October. 04.2023
