Wren had hit Mark and run. She heard the front door open and slam close, and she knew that he would be running to his nannie’s house. Vanessa struggled to pull herself together so she could follow Wren, make sure that he was OK. Mark’s hand circled her wrist, grinding the bones together painfully. Tendons stood out in his neck; his eyes bulged from their sockets. He tightened his grip, then threw her across the table. She skidded across the top, landing painfully on her side on the floor. It had all happened so fast. She had kicked one of the chairs and it was now laying on its side. She had the insane desire to tuck it back neatly under the table. Her nose throbbed, the blood pulsing in her head in time with her labored breathing. From her vantage point on the kitchen floor, she saw a small pair of feet just peeking out from the hallway.

Shit! Wren had only pretended to run. What if Mark saw him?

Terrified, she motioned for him to go, to run away. She had to keep Mark’s focus on her so he wouldn’t see Wren. So he wouldn’t kill him.

‘You’re such a fucking loser,’ she taunted, standing up slowly, blood still dripping from her ruined nose, staining her top and dripping onto the floor. I just cleaned that damn thing.

‘I’m the fucking loser?’

‘Just let me go, Mark. Let us go.’

‘Let you go? I’ll let you go when I’m good and ready. You ruined my life.’

‘This again?’ She smiled through the blood that coated her teeth. ‘Your life was going nowhere anyway. You had the chance to be happy with us, to be a dad, but you chose something else.’ The little feet had disappeared. Hopefully hiding in the wardrobe in his bedroom like they’d practiced.

Mark grabbed Vanessa, throwing her face down over the table. She fought, and she fought hard. He pulled her head back by her hair, smashing her face down into the table. She screamed, her nose shrieking in unison. She knew what was coming; she heard him undoing his belt. He grabbed hold of her pants, pulling them down roughly. He forced himself inside her with one violent thrust. He put his hands around her waist and fucked her hard. She bit her lip, but her eyes still leaked tears. She would not let him know how much she was hurting; it would only serve to heighten his pleasure.

‘You always were a slut,’ he said as he pulled out.

‘And you were always a fucking asshole.’ She couldn’t help herself.