Maverick

same life. I’m sitting in the kitchen thinking of what to cook for dinner for him, when I hear someone pull up outside the house.
I push myself up out of the chair, feeling much older than my thirty-eight years. My husband has still been punishing me all of these weeks later and he gave away my heat privileges in the house while he’s gone.
I walk to the front door and peer out of the window. I watch as a woman in her twenties gets out and stands next to another woman—River. The older woman turns to look towards the house and I almost fall to the ground.
She is a spitting image of me—she is my daughter I know without a doubt she is my daughter.
They come up to the door and knock, along with a man that is glued to Jessica’s side. I take a deep breath and open the door, not even worrying about the consequences of them being here.
I come face to face with my first-born. I cover my mouth, overwhelmed. “Jessica?” I whisper shakily.
Jessica swallows hard. I can tell she’s just as affected as I am. “It’s me. Can we talk to you?”
I look behind them at the yard to make sure it’s safe. I nod and step back, allowing them inside of my prison.
They stand around and stare at me. “Do you want to sit down?” Jessica asks me, and I slowly walk to the recliner, ignoring the pang in my stomach.
Jessica sits down in front of me. “I don’t know where to start.” She laughs slightly and some of the anxiety leaves me. I want her to like me so bad, both of them.
“River found me, and she told me of your situation here.”
My eyes widen. I never really expected that River would tell someone of my life here. I’m not sure how she even knows how bad it is here.
I gather my courage. “It killed me to give you girls up, but I didn’t want you to have a bad life. I couldn’t give you a good one, because I’ve been trapped in a marriage to someone I was forced to marry at fourteen years old.”
Jessica and River both look shocked. “Fourteen years old?” That’s not even legal, is it?” Jessica asks me.
I wish it wasn’t legal then. “I’m not from here originally; I’m from Kentucky, and it was legal there when I was a child. My parents were poor and they chose someone for me. He was almost thirty, and I had just turned fourteen.” I swallow hard, running my hands down my legs, trying to stop the shaking.
Then I decide to be completely honest. I want them to understand that I didn’t want to give them up. I want so desperately for them to understand.
“It’s been nothing short of hell here, and I couldn’t bring my kids into this world. I’m sorry I gave you up, but I did it to protect you in my own way. I can’t even protect myself.” I catch my breath, trying to stop the panic attack from overwhelming me. “From him,” I finish.
I look at Jessica. “I had you when I was fifteen.” I turn to look at River. “And I had you when I was nineteen.” I turn my focus back to Jessica. “I almost died when I had you, Jessica. I was really small for my age, and underweight—it was hard.”
I see the man next to her tighten his grip on her hand. I can tell that he loves my girl and it makes me happy that she has that.
Jessica leans closer and takes my hands. “If you had a chance to leave, would you?”
I nod without hesitation. ‘I want to get out of here. I tried to leave, but he found me and I was in the hospital for weeks for how bad I was beaten. I have no family, no money…” I trail off because the possibility of me leaving here diminishes every day.
Jessica tightens her hand on mine. “You have family. We came here today to get you out of here.”
My entire world implodes. I did not expect that. “But why would you want to do that, after everything that I did?” I whisper, my heart aching with so many emotions.
She smiles. “You did it to protect us. You were fifteen years old; that was so brave.”
I look at River and she has tears in her eyes.
“Okay.” I nod and let the tears that I haven’t dared let fall trickle down my face.
Jessica wraps her arms around me. I let the pain I’ve been feeling for so long go and just weep for myself, for my kids and the life I have suffered for so long.
“Wait, what’s your name?” she asks. I laugh and wipe the tears from my face “Isabella, Bell for short.”
Jessica stands. “Want to pack your things and we can get out of here?” she asks.
I push myself out of the chair, trying to hide how horrible I’m feeling. My husband never really cared to make sure I was fed. He monitored everything I ate because he didn’t want his wife overweight.
But it’s gotten extreme because of River visiting me and I wouldn’t tell him who she was to protect her.
“Do you mind if we invite our friends in?” Jessica asks, looking to the door.
“Of course not.”
The guy with Jessica walks over and opens the door, and two girls and two guys walk inside.
I walk into my bedroom, not looking at the bed because I can’t stomach the sight of it.
I usually lay in my bed long enough for my husband to do what he wants to do with me, then I crawl down onto the floor, then get right back up before he wakes up for his breakfast.
Shaking away the memories, I gather one of my old bags from the closest, trying to ignore the fact that these people are seeing me at my absolute most vulnerable.
I place some of my clothes into the bag, and a