tw: mentions of violence and domestic abuse.
On several occasions, Claudia considered killing Jack: placing a pillow over his face when he was sleeping, covering his mouth and nose with her hands, and even stabbing him to death in an abandoned home. The idea relaxed her a little and usually settled her nerves since she knew her life would be so much easier and much less stressful without him in the picture. However, she knew that if anything were to happen to the bastard sheâd be the first person the police went to. And quite honestly, she wasnât going to let him ruin her life yet again by spending the rest of her life in a prison cell.Â
So when Alex brought up more logical and less violent ways of defeating Jack, both of her eyebrows raised as she thought his words over, her eyes focused on his with thoughtfulness and eventually a little fight and determination. Jack wasnât worth the angry tears or fear. He was a piece of shit just like any other abuser and he needed to go down. There was no more running away from him anymore, she had to steel herself and fight head-on with the devil.Â
âI do have a restraining order against him now. I honestly donât know why you have to pay his medical bills when he breached it,â Claudia told him, her jaw clenching as anger jolted through her body. She wanted to hit something, but retorted to touching Alex again, her finger trailing down his face where she swore she saw tears in the dark. She was aware that he probably wouldnât like that, but it was much better than her taking it out of the limo and breaking her hand.Â
Once she moved her hand, she continued to speak, the wounded look on her face gone and her cracked voice a ghost of the past. âI say we do a bit of both. We have the tools we need and the money, so it shouldnât be too hard to take the fucker down.â She nodded her head firmly as she silently wondered about how she hadnât thought about this before. âObviously, as you said, we need to take him to court. But the trial could take ages, so weâll have to rely on publicity for the time being. And, as much as I hate my mother, Iâm sure sheâll let either you or me on her show to talk about our fight against domestic violence. Then, from there we can run a campaign against it.â She gave him a devious smile. âA campaign thatâll help you, but will also give me something to do to make a difference.â She thought it was about time she did something, or rather tried to. She spent most of her time at home researching and writing books on famous criminals, and that wasnât always exciting.Â
@minsuhltang / @ravenpuff-writes¡
With the right spin on a tale, there was always a way to redeem himself. It was just convenient that Claudia was pregnant, which would stir cries of empathy from the public.They would both get what they wanted, more power and control. He felt a familiar excitement in the pit of his stomach as he imagined Jackâs dumbfounded face across the courtroom. The devious ideas in his head were unraveling and falling into their rightful place, but he was far too tired to take action right at that moment.
âI think we both need to sleep for a couple of hours at least, and then we can make the calls.â He sat up with his back touching the seat but situated himself so that he was still close to Claudia. He swept her hair to the side and kissed her cheek. âThank you,â he whispered so quietly that Claudia wouldâve had to read his lips. He leaned down to kiss her pregnant belly too. âEverything is going to be okay buddy. Itâs going to be okay...â
The driver pulled into their driveway as the frenzy of cameras flashing and reporters chattering outside of the safety of their car swallowed them whole. He eyed Claudia, before opening the door on his side. The driver fended off a few of the persistent reporters, so there was space for Alex to stand. He stepped outside and held his hand up to say, âI am respectfully asking you all to leave us alone for at least one day. My wife is very shaken and tired. Weâve had a long night. I can assure you all, weâll have a proper press conference within the next few days, thank you.â He turned back towards the car and leaned a bit inside to hold his hand out for Claudia to take. âLean on me,â he mouthed at her.
@gonegirlings¡ / @agaywad¡