Encouraging Leah

I quietly got dressed before sneaking out of the house, silently shutting the front door behind me and pressing the button to lock it. I glanced around the yard, wanting to make sure that everything was still. Sensing nothing out of place, I hurried to my car, praying that it would start up without waking Maddie, Armadillo, and Joey. I had gone to bed early so I could wake up before everyone else did. I didn’t want anyone to tag along. I wanted to do this by myself.

I had even gone so far as to give Sugar Benadryl so that she would sleep through me leaving, long enough that she wouldn’t alert anyone to my absence. As soon as I made it out of the gate, I pressed down harder on the accelerator. In no time, I was flying down the freeway, toying with the large manila envelope on the seat next to me. I was determined to end this today. Joey and I had spent countless hours the last week going over what I wanted in the divorce, which I finally admitted was nothing. At first, I tried to agree with Joey about taking half of everything, but I couldn’t. I really didn’t want anything from William. I didn’t even want the memories of him.

As the sun rose, I yawned a little as I struggled to stay awake. It was so early, and I was always exhausted now. This trip was going to take a full day, and that was if he just signed the papers without a fight, which I fully doubted. I expected him to yell at me, or maybe even worse. I was a little worried that he would get violent like he usually did, but I refused to go into this with that fear holding me back. I was going to get my divorce so that I could eventually marry Brennan.

“Where are we going?” A sleepy voice said from behind me, causing me to swerve as I screamed.

I pulled over onto the shoulder, glaring at a drowsy Armadillo who was rubbing his eyes. “ARE YOU CRAZY?! I COULD HAVE KILLED US!” I yelled.

“But you didn’t! It’s fine! Where are we going?” He repeated as he climbed into the front seat.

“What are you doing in my car?” I retorted, not wanting to answer him.

“You were acting weird last night, and Maddie and I thought you might pull a stunt like this. Since she’s pregnant, we agreed that I would sleep in your car so you weren’t alone. Now, I ask you again, where are we going?”

“You’re going back to Madison’s, and I am going to my destination,” I snapped.

“No can do, Leah. You are not going anywhere without one of us,” he told me as he lifted himself up a little to pull the manila envelope out from under him. He read the writing on the front of it before meeting my eyes. “You’re going to see William?”

“That’s none of your business,” I snarled as I snatched the envelope from him.

“It is, actually. It’s one of Eden’s rules. No one is allowed to confront their abuser without someone else present to protect them,” he recited, changing the way the rule was written in the handbook a little.

I shook my head. “But we’re not in Eden, Kaden. I can do this by myself. I want to do this by myself.” I took a deep breath. “I need to do this by myself.”

“No, Phoenix, you don’t. I know you feel like you have to, but that’s just how you were forced to think growing up. You were alone then; you can choose to not be alone now. So, please let me go with you. I won’t get involved unless you need me to.”

I hesitated before sighing. “Do you promise?”

“I do.”

“Alright, but you won’t tell anyone where we are until after we get back,” I ordered.

“Agreed.”

I gave him one more hard look before carefully pulling back onto the freeway. When I pulled over to get gas, we switched places. While he drove, I slept. When he woke me up hours later, I groggily sat up, rubbing my eyes.

“Is it time to get gas?” I asked.

“No, Leah. We’re here. You slept through the last two stops for gas.”

“What?!”

I looked around, and just like he said, we were sitting outside my old house. I shrank back against the seat as fear swamped me. I swallowed hard as I shook my head.

“I don’t want to do this anymore,” I whimpered.

“Why not? Talk to me, Leah.”

“I just don’t.”

He turned toward me, tipping my face up so that I was looking into his eyes. “Listen to me, I felt the same way you feel now when I went to talk to my ex-wife. I was terrified. I almost peed myself, but I pushed through, and that was a pivotal part in my healing journey. It will be the same for you. I am here. I will not let him hurt you. I have your back. Trust me. Please.”

I took a deep breath before nodding. “Okay.”

“Good girl, Phoenix. Now, hold your head up and walk up there and show him just how much you don’t need or want him. You have done bad all by yourself. It’s time he knew what you are capable of.”

After another deep breath, I climbed out of the car. I rolled my shoulders back, straightened my back, and lifted my head. Armadillo stepped up beside me, holding the envelope out to me along with a pen.

“Let’s go get this bastard’s signature!”

I smiled weakly at him. “Yes. Let’s go get it.”

He followed me up to the gate, where he stopped, nodding at me encouragingly. Even though the front door was only a few feet from the gate, I was still even more terrified of what was going to happen. I raised my fist to knock, but fear locked my body up, making me freeze with my fist up inches from the door. I clenched my jaw as memories flooded my mind. Will’s violent anger and the infinite number of bruises, broken bones, and busted lips all flowed through my mind at the same time, heightening my fear. I dropped my hand and my head as tears started to trail down my face. I was ashamed of the amount of fear I still felt for this man. I shouldn’t be, but I was.

It was like I was coming home after doing errands, and I knew that his fists, feet, or even both were waiting on the other side of the door, waiting to punish me for something that I didn’t do. I trembled as the memory of the pain he was capable of inflicting coursed through me. And then my eyes landed on my stomach. I clenched my jaw again as anger coursed through my veins. My determination to make sure he never harmed another one of my children quickly outweighed every other emotion, making my head snap up. I raised my fist and knocked on the door before I could lose my nerve again. When he opened the door, I took a step back, my strength waning immediately upon seeing him. His lips curled up in a cruel smile.

“Leah! You’re back! Get in here and—”

“I want a divorce,” I told him, my small voice wavering with terror.

“A divorce? What are you talking about?” He snarled as he grabbed my arm to shake me.

My body locked up as I was once again taken back to before Eden. “I-I’m sorry,” I cried.

“A DIVORCE?! YOU THINK YOU CAN LAST OUT THERE IN THE WORLD WITHOUT ME? I DO EVERYTHING FOR YOU!” He yelled as he threw me to the ground.

I tried to scramble backward as I pleaded with him not to hurt me while the envelope lay completely forgotten where I dropped it. As he reached out to grab my hair, a figure leapt over me, and the next second, Will collapsed next to me, gasping for air. He glared at Maddie, who was standing over him, panting with her fists, silently threatening to punch him in the throat again. After a few seconds, she kicked him in the balls hard, causing him to scream in pain as he rolled around on the ground, clutching his testicles. She pulled me to my feet before brushing my hair out of my face. I threw my arms around her shoulders, sobbing in relief.

“Shhh, Leah. I got you. I will always have you,” she murmured.

When I finally calmed down, I looked up at her. “I-I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. This little bitch put you through hell! But no more, Leah.” She stomped across the porch to pick up the envelope and pen before pushing them into my hands. “Go get your power back!”

I looked down at the envelope before turning around to face Will again. I swallowed down the lump that lodged in my throat when I saw that Kaden had him in a headlock, which did nothing to stop him from glaring daggers at me. I took the papers out of the envelope before flipping to the first signature. I held out the pen to Will.

“Y-you will sign these p-papers,” I stammered. “I want a-a divorce, and you w-will give it to me.”

“Bitch!” He hissed, making me flinch.

When I took a step back, I hit Maddie, who was standing directly behind me. I swallowed hard before trying again.

“You will sign these papers,” I told him again, feeling emboldened by Maddie’s comforting grip on my hand.

“NEVER!”

Kaden tightened his hold on Will’s throat, making him turn red as he struggled to breathe. I waved the pen. “Sign the papers.”

Will snatched the pen from me before signing and initialing where I told him to. When he finished with the papers, I looked them over before putting them back into the envelope. Kaden tightened his grip even more for a moment and let Will drop to the ground. Kaden nodded at me, keeping his eyes on mine.

“Tell him how he hurt you. Get it all out there. He can’t hurt you. We won’t let him,” he encouraged.

“No, we won’t,” Maddie agreed.

I drew in a shaky breath before kneeling in front of Will, linking my fingers with Maddie’s when she put them on my shoulder. I met Will’s eyes, leaning back a little when he tried to push himself up while trying to grab me. Kaden slammed his foot down onto his back.

“STAY DOWN!” He roared.

I swallowed hard before beginning to speak. “You took everything from me. You took my virginity, my hopes, my dreams. You took my future, and you took who I should have been.” I closed my eyes as I put my hand on my stomach. “You took my daughter from me. You made me weak, afraid, and a slave.” I fell quiet for a moment before my eyes snapped open as fury ignited inside of me again over the loss of my daughter. “You took everything that made me a woman. But not anymore. I won’t continue to live in fear. I won’t continue to look over my shoulder. I’m in love, William, with an amazing man. Your memory tried to take him from me too, but he wouldn’t let it.” I stood up so I could look down on him like he had done to me many times. “I will never again be the woman you can control. I will never be the woman so scared of her own shadow that she doesn’t even think about saying no. I may struggle, but I have a family that won’t let me fail. Everything you took from me, I will get back. And you, you will be the last thing that I ever regret.” I breathed out as a weight lifted off my shoulders. “Let’s go. I’m done here.”

As I walked away, Kaden and Maddie fell into step with me. Before I could make it down the stairs, my wrist was grabbed hard enough that I knew it was going to bruise.

“You are not going anywhere!” William snarled. “You are my property!”

I put a hand up to stop Maddie and Kaden from reacting. I walked back up onto the porch, facing Will, ignoring the way he was trying to use his size to intimidate me.

“You need to let me go,” I said, the calmness in my voice belying the level of my fear.

“And if I don’t?” He almost growled.

I stuck my hand in my pocket, closing it around the pocket knife I had stolen from Maddie’s house. “Let me go!”

He yanked me forward, so that I was flush against his body, his beady eyes boring into mine. “And if I don’t?” He repeated.

I pulled the knife out, flipping the blade out before plunging it into his stomach. He immediately let me go as he screamed out, his hand holding his stomach as I withdrew the blade. He sank to his knees, and I flew around him, running off the porch and toward the car, skidding to a halt when he called out after me, “You’ll never have a family!”

I spun around angrily. “Yeah? Then tell me how it is that I am pregnant then! And it is not yours!”

“WHORE!”

When I took a step toward him, Kaden gripped my arm, steering me toward the car. “Let’s go!”

After he deposited me in the car, he got in, speeding away from Will’s house while I fought back the urge to vomit. I pressed my hand into my stomach before finally telling him to pull over. As soon as the car was put in park, I opened the door to lean out as vomit spewed from my mouth. Less than a minute later, Maddie was by my side. When I was done vomiting, I turned my head to look at her.

“How did you know where we were?”