“Why did you walk away from Cooper when he was waiting to give you a lift? Are you trying to kill yourself?” His voice shook with rage, and he pulled me by the arm into the living room. Cooper was there with Abbi. His evil smirk as his dad walked in with me made me want to tear his hair out. “OUT!” Shawn barked and Cooper and Abbi scuttled for the door.
He pushed me towards the couch and as I reached it, he shoved me over, holding me down with one arm as he smacked my backside hard with his other hand, pain flooding through me. I screamed as he hit me again and again, the pain I was feeling increasing with every contact Shawn’s hand made with my body. When it was finally over, he pushed me away from him and I landed on the floor where I sat sobbing. No one had ever hit me like that before in my life, not even my mom, and I was beyond upset; I was mortified. As I cried from the pain and shame of being spanked, my mom entered the room and spoke soothing words to Shawn.
She ignored me completely as I sat, wondering how much she hated me to take me from my life to this hell. They eventually left the room and I stayed where I was, just sitting on the floor as a wave of numbness washed over me. After a few hours, my mom came back in and finally spoke to me. “Bailey, go to bed. No one wants to see your face right now.”
I nodded at her and stood up painfully from the spanking I’d endured and sitting in the same place for so long. I moved towards the stairs and saw Cooper walking out the door with Abbi. As he saw me, he came towards me and smacked me on the ass. I winced and his smirk widened. “Poor little girl has no idea how to belong.”
He turned and ran out of the door, both he and Abbi laughing, as I made my way upstairs. I didn’t leave my room all weekend and Elisha gave me a lift home every day from school. I didn’t dare call Wendy; I had no idea how to tell her how awful my life had become.
I sat and typed a text out to her, but I couldn’t think of how to phrase how much I loathed this new life, so I didn’t. Every day I tried to text her, but I couldn’t phrase it and for the next few weeks, I spent more and more time in the house alone. Zane was pleasant when I saw him, but Cooper spent his time avoiding me.
It was the night before my mom and Shawn’s wedding and my mom moved the two of us to a suite in a hotel in the center of town with my aunt Cate and Kimberly. I didn’t speak to anyone the whole night. I’d also lost weight and it didn’t suit me. My hair hung limply around my face and as the makeup artist worked on me on the morning of the wedding, Cate approached me while Kim was fawning over my mom, worry all over her face.
“Are you okay, Bailey?” she asked me, her voice full of concern I wanted to unload to her, but she’d just told my mom she was expecting a baby and I knew I couldn't put it on her. I hugged her, telling her I was fine, holding her a little too tight and some of the pain I was holding in erupted as I started to cry. Pain over no one believing me, over everyone hating me at school, and over my mom’s hiding Louis, plus pain at missing my friends and missing Leah and my old life.
“No crying!” the makeup artist admonished me as I pulled away from Cate and tried to shake my mood away, but as soon as my grandma and grandpa walked in, I flew at them and cried proper tears. I sobbed until I had nothing left and my grandma looked at my mom in horror at seeing me so upset. “Bailey girl, what’s happened to you?” Her voice was soft as she looked deep into my eyes.
I couldn’t speak and my mom spoke up, “She’s hurt because I refuse to let her bring Louis into the house. I don’t want the ghosts of the past haunting her future.” Her tone was ice cold and full of reproach and I glared at her for a moment.
My grandpa interrupted my glare and took me outside for some air and to calm down. My grandma stayed in the suite and then followed us outside, giving me a much-needed hug. She asked if I was okay, but I didn’t want to tell her how upset I was, so I nodded, and she held me tightly.
“You know you can tell me anything honey. I’m always here for you.”
I nodded and she led me back inside. The makeup artist huffed and set about to repair my face after my tears had ruined all the work she’d done.
I was ready last, and my mom looked surprised as I stood in front of her wearing a strapless gold dress with black lace-up sandals. My hair was hanging down in loose curls down my back. She looked gorgeous in her simple, fishtail dress, with a garland of flowers in her hair which was styled in the same way as mine.
She smiled as I stared at her and walked over to me giving me a hug and hissing in my ear, “I hope you’ve got all the drama out of your system now.” She kissed my cheek and stepped back as her daddy came into the room.
He looked between us, a look of pride on his face, and pulled us both in for a hug. He kissed us both and a few moments later we were in the cars heading to the house for the ceremony. We arrived and the house looked gorgeous with simple rose bushes and lights, lighting the way to the back yard. The aisle was on the green lawn and there was a flower arch at the end of it. On either side of the aisle there were rows of chairs and at the end of each row was a rose bush.
The lake water sparkled in the background and everything looked completely gorgeous. Zane was my escort, and soon walked over to me and took my hand. I smiled at him but he gazed at me with glassy eyes without saying anything. He walked me towards his father and brother who were waiting under the arch. Cooper’s eyes widened in surprise as he took in my appearance as Zane and I walked towards him. It didn’t take long for a sneer to cross his face which told me that he still hated me.
As I took my place, I glanced around and didn’t see many familiar faces. My mom told me she’d invited Leah and Alice and Wendy’s family, but I couldn’t see them, so they’d obviously not come or hadn’t been invited. My mom’s cousins were missing too, but I guessed that was because they’d be able to tell the truth about Louis and my mom wouldn’t want that. Not after she’d lied about him to her new family.
The wedding passed slowly, and my attentiveness wandered. I stared out at the water and hoped it would be over soon as they exchanged rings. When it was finally over, I was made to stand beside Cooper for a photo and my heart raced because I knew he would do something to upset me, but surprisingly he did nothing. He put his hand on my waist and the place he’d touched burned when he took his hand away.
I moved away after the photo, sitting down and Cate came over and sat beside me. “Sweetie, what is wrong with you?” I shrugged at her, but as Cooper walked by with Abbi my entire body tense.
“Has he done something to you? Bailey, talk to me, please.” I glanced at her, and she was watching Cooper and Abbi standing under a tree while the caterers created an open-plan dining area.
I watched the caterers and saw the heaters hidden all around because even though it was now April and the snow had melted, it was still chilly. They’d already erected a marquee covering the tables and chairs with the heaters at each exit.
Eventually, we were called forwards and I moved towards the tent, when a hand closed over my arm, squeezing tightly, and I glanced around seeing Zane’s creepy friend who had openly groped me at the mall. He tugged on my arm, but before he could pull me away Cate materialized at my side making me breathe a sigh of relief.
“Problem?” she asked him with ice in her tone and he released me. “No, ma’am” was his polite answer, but his eyes lingered on me in a way that made me uncomfortable. As she stood glaring at him, he shrugged and walked away.