Molly

“Of course you can stay,” I tell him, smiling as he kisses me.

Then he sits up and reaches for his sneakers, which are under the coffee table. “I’ve got to take Gus out for a walk,” he says, dropping a quick kiss on my lips. He puts his glasses on. “I’ll be right back.”

This is happening so fast. He’s going to wheedle his way into my life, into my bed, and into my insecurities. I’m going to be helpless against him.

I leave the door unlocked for him, since he’ll be back in just a few minutes. I head to the bathroom to get ready for bed. I’m shaking, literally, from head to toe.

I slip on a pale blue silky nightgown that just barely covers my thighs. It’s sleeveless and sexy. Even though Jamie can’t see the nightgown, it might boost my confidence to wear it.

After putting out a night-time snack for Charlie and refilling his water bowl in the kitchen, I turn off all the lights and head to my bedroom to wait for Jamie.

I’m surprised at how nervous I am. It’s not like we haven’t done this before, and he’s already explored the terrain of my chest. But still, I feel cold and shaky.

When I hear the apartment door open and close, I feel butterflies in my belly.

He comes down the hall and pauses in my open bedroom doorway. The apartment is dark, and the only light comes through my white lacey bedroom curtains. I can make out the outline of his body, but that’s all, as he stands there watching me silently.

“Gus settled for the night?” I say, hoping to break the awkward silence. I don’t know what he’s waiting for. An invitation?

“I wouldn’t know.”

At the sound of that unexpected voice, I shoot up in bed, grasping the sheet and comforter to my chest. “What are you doing in here?”

I reach for the lamp on the bedside table and switch it on, momentarily blinded by the light. Todd’s standing in my bedroom doorway dressed from head to toe in black. His pale hair is mussed and his light blue eyes are bloodshot.

My heart slams into my throat, threatening to choke me. And then the real fear sets in. Jamie’s going to be back here any second, and he’ll be caught unprepared.

“Get out!” I yell, hoping that Jamie might hear me and be forewarned.

Todd just gives me a look as he walks into my bedroom. “Where’s your boyfriend?” he says.

 “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t have – ”

He grabs the bedding and rips it out of my hands. “Don’t lie to me, Molly. I know you’re screwing the blind guy.”

He crawls onto the bed, looming over me, and when I try to slide out from under him and roll to the other side of the bed, he grabs the back of my nightgown and drags me back. “Not so fast, you little slut. I’m not through with you.”

“Todd – ”

He backhands me, knocking my head back against the headboard. Bright flickering lights blind me for a moment, disorienting me. Then he tugs me down so that I’m lying on my back, and he shoves my nightgown up around my waist. Since I was anticipating Jamie coming to bed, I’m not wearing any panties.

“Stop it!” I scream, trying to push his hands away.

He grabs me around the throat, wrapping his long fingers around my neck and cutting off my air. I grab his wrist and try to pull his hand off me, but he’s too strong.

I can feel my face turning red from the lack of oxygen, and I struggle in vain to pull his hand off my throat.

He reaches with his free hand to unbuckle his belt, then unfastens his jeans.

This can’t be real. This can’t be happening. Who is this monster? He’s not the same man I married a decade ago. When I hear his zipper going down, I redouble my efforts to get free. I’m not going to let him rape me.

My eyesight starts fading to black around the edges, and I’m afraid I’m about to pass out from lack of air. In a desperate measure, I raise my head and bite his forearm as hard as I can, sinking my teeth relentlessly into his flesh. I taste blood, and my stomach turns. But it works. As Todd releases his grip on my throat, I suck in a huge lungful of air.

“You bitch!” he yells, slapping me hard enough to make my ears ring.

He grabs my wrists and pins them above my head, then looks around the room frantically. I think he’s looking for something he can use to secure my wrists.

I buck my hips, trying to dislodge, but he’s too heavy for me to budge.

A moment later, the light goes out, and we’re in the dark. My apartment is eerily silent all of a sudden, and I realize the electricity is off. At first, I’m at a complete loss. Then it dawns on me. Jamie. He must have flipped the breaker. He doesn’t need the light. Throwing the apartment into total darkness gives him an advantage.

“What the fuck?” Todd says, sitting upright on me. He releases my wrists and jumps off the bed.

I hear him pull something out of his back pocket, and then I hear the tell-tale flick of a switchblade opening.

“Jamie!” I scream, trying to warn him.

“Shut up!” Todd hisses at me. He leans close and I can feel the edge of the knife against my cheek. “If you make another sound, I will carve you up.”

But I have to warn Jamie about the knife. Hand-to-hand combat is one thing, but Jamie needs to know if his opponent is armed.

“He has a knife!” I yell at the top of my lungs.

“God dammit!” Todd growls.

And a moment later, I feel the sharp tip of the blade pierce the edge of my cheek. As he swipes down, intending to carve a line in my cheek, I turn my face, trying to get out of his reach.

A moment later, I hear a deafening roar, and Todd is lifted off the bed and tossed to the floor.

I scramble off the bed, landing on the floor between the bed and the wall, away from the struggle I hear ensuing on the opposite side of the bed.

“Molly, get out!” Jamie yells.

Then I hear Todd cry out sharply. “You fucker! I’ll kill you!”

“Molly, go!”