Chapter 17


    Ty left early this morning for work, I wasn''t even awake yet. I rolled out of bed about an hour after he''d


    already gone and walked into our bathroom. I step into the stand up shower and wash away the sleep


    sweat.


    As I rinse the soap from my hair and lean my head back letting the water fall down my back, rxing


    me and warming up my aching muscles. I finish up my warm shower and reluctantly climb out letting


    the cold air envelope me as I step out. I almost slip on the water dripping from my hair as I notice I am


    not alone in this room. A man stands in the doorway, a man who is not Tyler.


    "Hey Ashley, fancy seeing you here." I stare at him , unable to take my eyes away from his dark


    I feel like my heart fell into my stomach. I fight the urge to run over and hug him, seeing him here and


    alive makes my knees weak. I try topose myself, I know Tyler would be angry if he was here. He


    might hurt him, I can''t have that.


    "I have no idea what you are talking about, how did you get in my house?"


    "Funny how you didn''t ask me who I am though." My throat tightens and I bite down hard on the inside


    of my cheek trying not to break down in front of him. Hees closer to me and I attempt to back away


    but, my back hits the cold ss of my shower. Damien reaches for me, i flinch away from his touch and


    ignore the pained look in his eyes. I don''t bother to look at him as I speak.


    "How did you find me?"


    "I called the emergency hotline you work for, that was a dead end. They wouldn''t even give me your


    information for obvious reasons. After that I looked you up, it was pretty silly of you to put yourself on


    social media under your new name. I tracked you down using pictures you put up." I resist the urge to


    bring my hand to my face as I realize he is so right, I never should have opened that stupid ount on


    facebook but, it was the only way I could still see my family without leaving Ty.


    I push past Damien and walk back into my bedroom. I hear him follow me but, I quickly grab my phone


    from the bedside table before he sees and bring it over to my dresser. I ce the phone inside the


    dresser so that it looks like I am looking for clothes while I press Ty''s number and call. I hear him pick


    up and I leave the drawer open. I hear Ty say hello, without picking up the phone I speak to Damien to


    This belongs to N?velDrama.Org: ?.


    let Ty know that he is here.


    "Damien you need to leave, I can''t go with you. I love him, we''re happy" I feel a warm tear fall from my


    eyes, if only he knew I was trying to protect him, if only he knew why I had to leave. Why I left him there


    to die.


    "Ashley, I know you could be happier with me. Come home,e back to me." Damien reaches for my


    arm once more, I clutch desperately to the towel wrapped around me. I close my eyes, I wish I could


    say everything I want to say but I can''t. I wish I could tell him that I love him but, I can''t. I hear the


    phone disconnect, I know Tyler will be on his way now. Damien steps closer to me and I feel him


    against my back, he traps me against the dresser and his body. I want to lean against him and feel the


    "Damien stop, you need to go. He won''t be happy knowing you''re here." He makes no move to back


    off.


    "How would he know that I''m here, just leave with me. I''ll keep you safe?" I shake my head and more


    tears fall from my eyes. I turn and around ande face to face with those eyes, the eyes thatfort


    me in my dreams.


    "I...I called him." I close my eyes feeling the guilt rise up like bile in my throat. I hear him sigh and he


    backs up away from me. The warmth that he filled me with leaving instantly. A chill rolls up my spine.


    "Juste with me Ash, he''ll only hurt you." I turn away from him once more and find some clothes to


    put on. I grab a sweater and pants.


    "I need to get dressed, you need to leave." I leave the room and manage to get to the bathroom without


    Damien. I lock the door as I close it. I slide down the door letting my towel fall. I bring my legs up to my


    chest and hug them tightly to my body letting the tears fall freely. I squeeze my eyes shut wishing that


    he would just leave, I was keeping him safe and he is now ruining it.


    I hear him knock softly on the door and say my name. I stand up without saying a word and pull on the


    clothes I brought in here.


    "Damien, I''m not going with you." I slowly open the doors once my clothes are on and I step out of the


    bathroom. As I step out I hear Ty enter the house and my heart starts to pound. I knew he would be


    here but, I didn''t think he would be here so quickly. I need to show him that I want Damien to leave, I


    need to keep him safe.


    As he steps into our bedroom, his eyes wild and fists already clenched. I look towards him and see him


    soften slightly as he looks at me. I run towards him and envelop him in a hug. His hands wrap around


    me and fingersce into my hair.


    "This is such bullshit, he hurt you Ashley!"


    Ty lets me go and pushes me aside , not hard enough to hurt me but hard enough that I stumble


    slightly.


    "You shouldn''t even fucking be here Damien."


    "Tyler you are such a fucking psychopath." Damien lunges towards Tyler but, Ty is able to move to the


    side. Damien''s reflexes aren''t as quick as Ty and he stumbles and falls to the ground. Ty climbs on top


    of him and begins to hit him. I slide down the wall andnd on the floor just a few steps away from the


    two boys. I stare at themotion going on in front of me, tears rolling down my face, wishing that


    Damien never found me. He shouldn''t be here, it is my fault.


    I find the courage to crawl towards them, I grab hold of Tyler''s hand mid swing , his eyes turn to mine.


    The whites of his eyes bloodshot with rage; his hair disheveled and falling into his face. He looks like a


    crazy person, Damien''s darkplexion can barely be seen through all of the blood. I have never seen


    Ty in action but, I knew it would be bad when I did. He fights like he was trained to do so.


    "Please stop." My workse out in a croak, my bottom lip trembles and I stare at him with eyes filled


    with despair. Ty pushes me hard enough that I fall towards the wall, I feel my head make contact and


    my vision blurs. I blink hard trying to clear it, I watch Damien try to flip Ty off of him. Ty''s hands wrap


    around Damien''s throat, I want to look away but I can''t.


    I hear a ringing in my ears as Damien''s eyes flutter, I realize that it is my own screaming. I scream at


    Tyler to stop.


    "Tyler please, you promised you wouldn''t kill him, I came here with you to keep him safe."


    "That was before he decided to fucking stop by." Tyler speaks through his teeth as his hands don''t


    leave Damien''s neck. I watch as his eyes finally close, his chest ceases to rise and Tyler leans back.


    He stares down at Damien, he runs a bloodied and bruised hand through his hair. My lip trembles as I


    stare down at the boy I have faught so hard to keep safe. I don''t cry, I just stare at him,pletely


    numb.


    Tyler stands up and walks towards me, he yanks me up by my arm until I am at my feet. He leans down


    so our eyes are on the same level and ces a hand behind my neck.


    "How did he fucking get here."


    "I...I don''t know." Tyler groans and ms a hand on the side of the wall by my face. I jump and close


    my eyes thinking he was aiming for my face. I feel the tears begin to fall and he leas his head over


    touching his forehead to mine.


    "I''m sorry Ash."


    I stay there frozen in fear, letting him lean against me and catch his breath. I have bit the inside of my


    cheek so much all it''s been doing is bleed. Ty stands up straight and backs away from me , he turns


    and stares down at Damien.


    "I''ll deal with this, why don''t you go downstairs okay."


    I manage a nod and walk out of the room, my legs feel heavy as if I am walking in water. I walk into the


    kitchen and sit down at the table. I stare down at the grain in the wood, following the different lines with


    my eyes.


    I don''t know how long Ty was up there, aloneing up with a n to get rid of Damien and clean up


    the bedroom. Hees down with something wrapped in a sheet, I close my eyes and try to pretend it


    isn''t the man I love. It was dark by the time he was finished in the room, I don''t ask him where he''s


    taking Damien. I keep my eyes on the grain of wood on the table. I focus on keeping my breathing slow


    , trying to stay calm.


    I am still in the same spot when Ty gets back, he walks in and sighs when he sees me. I barely notice


    his movements as he walks over to me. He pulls me up and out of the chair, I close my eyes and rest


    my head against his chest. He walks me to our bedroom, as he steps in the scent of cleaner fills my


    nose. I scrunch my nose and try to focus on anything else. He walks into the bathroom and sets me


    down on my feet.


    "I know this was hard for you baby, let me help you forget." He starts the shower and finds the right


    temperature before turning back to look at me. I look up at him and meet his eyes, concern is set deep


    in the lines of his forehead and the blue of his eyes. I step closer to him and let him remove the sweater


    I''m wearing. His fingers linger on the delicate skin of my ribs, I shiver at his touch. I remove my own


    pants as Ty gets undressed. He grabs my hand and pulls me into the shower with him, he lets me


    under the water first. He rubs my back as the hot water hits me. I lean back into him, letting the water


    warm me. Ty grabs the body wash and beginsthering it onto my skin, he massages it into my


    shoulders and I let myself rx into his touch. I let myself forget about everything that happened in this


    room, I focus on his touch and the smell of the soap that covers the bleach scent.


    Once all the soap is washed away, we switch and Ty stands under the water. Ither him with the soap,


    I look away from the drain as the water turns a odd shade of brown. I ignore the fact that its a mixture


    of blood and dirt. I finish washing Ty and he shuts the water off.


    We both climb out of the shower and dry off with towels, I follow Ty into the bedroom. We both climb


    into the bed, Ty pulls me in close to his body. I rx against him and let our bodies fit together. He


    wraps his arms around me, I close my eyes and wish for a dreamless sleep.