Even the Sun Sets in Paradise

I blinked a few times, praying that it was some sort of hallucination. This couldn’t be happening. This wasn’t real. It was just my imagination.
“Hello princess,” George smirked, standing at the bottom of the stairs. I wanted to scream. I wanted to tell him how much I hated him, but terror had taken over my body as my mind replayed every single memory. I couldn’t speak. He was in jail. How did he get here? Why was this happening again? This couldn’t be happening. Brooklyn started to cry.
“Put the baby down,” George instructed. I was frozen in fear. I wanted to run but I couldn’t. I couldn’t move.
“Put the baby down,” he repeated. I didn’t respond, partly because I didn’t know what to say, but mainly because I physically could not get the words out.
“Jenna, put the fucking baby down!” George yelled, his tone becoming angry suddenly, “It’s not her I want.” Brooklyn was crying a lot now, and so was I. I was crying so much I couldn’t function, but I knew I had to. It was the only way I stood a chance of getting Brooklyn out alive. This wasn’t just about me anymore; it was her too. I swore I would keep Brooklyn safe. I had to keep her safe. Carefully, I planted a kiss on Brooklyn’s forehead and placed her down in her car seat. “It’s okay honey,” I reassured her, fighting to keep my voice steady, “You’re okay. I love you so much.” I turned the car seat away from me so that she was facing the wall. I knew that whatever was coming next wouldn’t be nice. She was too young to understand what she was seeing, but I didn’t want her to see it nonetheless. Silently, I got back to my feet and turned to face George, looking into the eyes of the man who had made my life hell. Panic had taken over but I forced myself to speak; I had to save my baby.
“Do what you want to me. Do whatever the fuck you want to me, but you touch my baby and I swear you’ll regret it,” I threatened, trying my best to sound composed. George laughed.
“What are you gonna do? Get your cousin on me? Get Brooklyn’s dad to beat me up? I’m scared,” he mocked, rolling his eyes. I expected that reaction. I knew it wouldn’t stop him of course, but it might buy me some time until Layton got here. I had to stall him.
“What do you want?” I asked. George started walking towards me and I backed away, as far as I could until I felt the cold hard kitchen work surface behind me. I was trapped. George was close to me now, so close I felt sick, repulsed even.
“I want revenge,” he demanded.
“I haven’t done anything wrong,” I told him firmly, “You took my mother away from me. You ruined my life for so long and now you still want more?!” I yelled in disbelief. George’s eyes were suddenly wild with fury and his hands clasped around my neck as he pushed me backwards. I reached up to pull his hands off of me, but he was a lot stronger than me.
“Your mother was a fucking waste-of-space whore. I did you a favour!” he roared, “You think you’re so much better than everyone else, but who the fuck are you trying to kid? You’re a fucking waste-of-space whore aswell!” My eyes stung with tears and my throat burned as George’s grip on my throat tightened. I was struggling to breathe and I knew that in seconds I would be dead. I glanced desperately out the window, praying to see a car pulling up, but there was no sign of anyone. I squeezed my eyes shut, accepting that this was the end. It was too late. There was nothing I could do. I kept my eyes shut, trying to think of a happy place, picturing myself anywhere other than here.
And then I remembered. I remembered Brooklyn and suddenly I was overwhelmed with emotion. I had to survive. I had never fought against George before. All through my childhood, I had never once had the confidence to fight against him. At first it was because I was too young to even understand what was going on, and then I think it was because it had gotten to the point where I didn’t care anymore. I had no reason to fight because I knew there was no hope for me. No one believed in me so I guess I quit believing in myself. This was a whole different story now. I had a family that believed in me. I had friends that believed in me. I had a baby that depended on me for god’s sake. I was not going to let my baby grow up without her mother. I had to get through this for her.
My eyes snapped open and I forced my brain to think of a plan. I had to think of a way out of here. My body was starting to go limp, and I slid my hands out behind me on the counter, trying to hold myself up. My fingers closed around something cold and hard – a handle. I knew there was no time to waste; I had literally seconds left. Mustering what little strength I had left, I squeezed the handle of the knife and stabbed it into George’s flesh. Instantly, he fell to the ground, the knife still in his chest. I collapsed next to him, my heart racing and my eyelids heavier than they had ever felt before. George was coughing now, screaming out in pain and struggling to breathe. There was a growing pool of blood on the floor next to me, but I was too overwhelmed to take in what I had just done. I pulled my knees up to my chest, sobbing with relief as I lay curled up on the floor, completely drained of energy.
After what felt like forever, the front door swung open and people were shouting. I couldn’t work out who the voices belonged to, and my eyes were clouded with tears so much I couldn’t see either. I heard sirens as more cars pulled into the driveway. The house was now full of people, but the only person I could make out was my best friend, the person who I knew without a doubt was the love of my life.