“Prom night came, and I knew I was ready. Maddox was the guy I wanted to give myself to. I was with him for less than a year, but I knew I wanted a future with him. He picked me up in a limo wearing a suit that matched my dress and gave me a gorgeous corsage. We went to prom, danced, laughed with our friends, and took pictures. After, he took me to this stunning five-star hotel where he made love to me. The whole night was magical and more than I dreamed it would be.”
She stops and lowers her head. I hold my breath, getting the feeling this story doesn’t have a happy ending. My chest starts to ache, so I push the air out of my lungs and wait. When she lifts her head, so much hate blazes from her eyes, it stuns me.
“A week after prom, I had my magical fairytale ripped away from me. Maddox changed. He became dark and possessive, never wanting me out of his sight. If a boy talked to me, even just a friendly chat about a school assignment, he’d hurt him. No one ever knew because he only ever acted that way in front of me and he never let the other guys see his face. I couldn’t tell my parents because he threatened to hurt them if I did. The same with going to the cops. He never hit me where anyone would see the evidence, and he always wore a condom when he raped me. I had plans to go to California for college, but he forbade it. He rented us an apartment and took on at-home-jobs, just so he could keep an eye on me. I tried leaving him so many times, but he always found me.”
Her eyes closed and a tear drips from her lashes. My heart breaks for her, so I reach over and grab her hand. She grips it tightly and holds on, like she’s afraid to let go.
“I was with him for two years when I ended up pregnant,” she continues, her voice hoarse. “He happened to be out one day. We had a small pharmacy right around the corner from our apartment, so I took the chance and rushed there for a pregnancy test. Ten minutes after I saw the positive results, he came barging in the door, screaming at me, wanting to know where I went. Apparently, one of his friends saw me leave the apartment. When he backhanded me, I fell to my knees. His boot landed in my stomach next.” I suck in a painful breath, tears forming in my eyes. “He didn’t stop. He just kept kicking me over and over again, but I knew with the first one, I was going to lose the baby.
She lifts her reddened eyes to me.
“After he was done, I laid there, curled up into a ball, blood spewing from my mouth and feeling like I was dying from the pain, and one thought kept going through my head. Would he have hurt me if he knew I was carrying his child? I only knew about the baby for not even half an hour, but I already loved him. I loved him so much that I was glad he was gone. I was glad I wasn’t bringing an innocent life into a world filled with pain. If I knew one thing, it was that Maddox would have killed me before I left and took his child away. So, in a sense, he saved me, and he saved our baby.”
She finishes and wipes at her cheeks. Letting go of my hand, she reaches down for her purse and pulls out a tissue. I sit there, frozen, not knowing what to do or say. My heart feels like it’s been shredded in my chest. The pain Jamie endured is beyond anything I could ever imagine. I don’t discount my own experience, but I was only hurt once. Jamie was tortured over and over again for years.
She balls the tissue into her fist after dabbing under her eyes, and a calm look washes over her face.
“The neighbors heard what was going on and called the cops. I was barely conscious when the EMT showed up. Trouble was at the hospital when I was brought in, on a consult for a friend or something. They were understaffed at that moment because the flu was going around. He helped treat me. One of the counselors the hospital employed talked me into pressing charges against Maddox. My injuries were so extensive that I was in the hospital for a week. The day I was due to be released, Maddox was in a car crash. He didn’t make it.”
One side of her mouth tips up to resemble a half-smile, almost as if she was glad Maddox died. My stomach bottoms out. Not because of the harshness of his death, but because I can’t help but feel relief that he died too.
“I didn’t want to go home to my parents because I was ashamed of what I let happen, but I had nowhere else to go. I had no friends I could depend on, thanks to Maddox. He took everything away from me.”
“What did you do?” I ask tearfully.
Her half smile turns into a full-fledged one and her eyes begin to sparkle, losing the lack-luster appearance of before.
“I ended up in a homeless shelter and was there for three days when Trouble showed up. I don’t know how he managed it, but he hunted me down and offered for me to come live here, in Malus. Having no other options and instinctively trusting him, I accepted his offer. Not a day goes by that I regret that decision.”
“I was born here,” Jenny inserts and my eyes dart to her in surprise. She keeps her gaze trained on Elijah, but there’s a smile tugging her lips as she continues to play with him. “Back when it was Sweet Haven. I was five when the town and its people were taken down. Shane and Delia were one of the few people here who weren’t involved in the…” She pauses, and her lips turn down. “…activities. Luckily, they were able to adopt me, because the foster care system was already overrun with kids. There’s no telling where or how I would have ended up.” Her eyes lift to mine. “I’ve lived here my whole life and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. I’ll die here and be very happy.”
My hand is grabbed, and I whip my head back to face Jamie. Her eyes are solemn as she stares at me.
“I won’t give details, but Layla and Gillian came to live here because they were hurt by someone too.”
My brows knit together, not understanding why she’s telling me all this. I mean, I hate knowing any of these women were hurt in anyway, but I get the feeling there’s something more she’s trying to tell me.
She turns so she’s mimicking my position on the couch. Her knee brushes mine.
“Every person here in Malus has a devastating story to tell, except for some of the children. We’ve all been hurt in some way, either by someone who we loved or by a stranger. Most of the children have been born here and they’re always protected, but even some of them were brought here because of what they went through and having no one to take them in. This is our safe place. This is where we feel protected the most. This is where we never have to worry about anyone hurting us again. Trouble, Judge, JW, and Emo gave us that. They gave all of us that.”
I listen with rapt attention when she leans forward and lowers her voice.
“I know you’re interested in Trouble.” She smiles slightly. “And I know he’s interested in you. But even if it didn’t work out between you two, you could still be happy here. You could still raise Elijah and make a life here. Sweet Haven may no longer be its name, but that’s exactly what Malus is now.”
She pats my hand, lets it go, then leans back.
“I’ll be back. I’m going to run to the lady’s room.”
After she leaves, I stare at the spot she just vacated and take in everything she just told me. Her and Jenny’s story aside, I’m a little shocked to find out everyone in Malus has been abused in some way. Remembering the many wary glances and unwelcome vibes I’ve gotten by a lot of people here, I can’t really say I blame them. Jamie said they feel safe here, and after being hurt in whatever way they have been, it must be hard to trust people.
I glance over and smile when I see Jenny leaning down and rubbing her face over Elijah’s tiny stomach. She giggles when his hands latch into her hair and she gently extracts herself from his tight grip. Sensing my stare, her eyes meet mine and offers me a soft smile.
Can it really be that easy? Would it be smart to move Elijah to a town out in the middle of nowhere? Could I distance myself from civilization that much? I don’t have to worry about my job, because I can do that anywhere.
Butterflies flicker to life in my stomach with the possibility of setting down roots here. Excitement stirs in my blood
at the thought of being a part of something special like what the people in Malus have. I had always loved the idea of living in a community where everyone knew everyone. The historical books that I love so much, especially the western ones, had places like that.