She was unconscious and he checked her breathing and her pulse to make sure she was alright, then he lifted her gently and carried her to the bed. His first thought was to get her out of this cesspit, so he laid her on the bed, wrapped her in the bedclothes and hoisted her back into his arms.
He carried her easily and it felt so right. Her face, though thin and wan, and sporting a growing bruise on her left cheek, was so beautiful it made his heart thud painfully in his chest. He stepped over Howie and took the stairs a step at a time, in stark contrast to his frenzied arrival.
As he reached the bottom, he heard Howie stirring. “What the… Come back here you fucker!” There was no way that he could get out before he was challenged, so he hurried into the nearest room and laid Sophie onto a tacky leather sofa. “You fucking bastard, I’m going to beat the shit out of you!” Howie appeared just as Kaelan carefully lowered his wife’s head to the padded arm for support.
“You think so? I’d like to see that,” his tone was cold and indifferent.
Howie tried to circle him to get to Sophie, but Kaelan stepped closer, forcing him to retreat. “She’s mine now asshole!”
“You set her up, just like you did with Anna. If I was to hazard a guess I’d say she was someone else’s wife when you met her, am I right?”
Howie snorted, “so what if she was? She’s ancient history.” There was the sound of movement from above them, “Dougie, get your arse down here!”
For the first time, Kaelan felt anxious. He could take either one of them alone, but together he wasn’t so sure. Doug rattled down the stairs, obviously still feeling the effects of the punch. He fairly staggered through the door, and barreled straight into Howie.
“Watch it you twat, get him.” Doug hesitated, he was still pretty shaky, and he didn’t seem to relish the idea of another round with Kaelan. Howie shoved him so hard he went to his knees. It was almost comical, his wrinkled little prick bobbed pathetically between his thin thighs. “She’s mine now,” Howie repeated.
“Rape and false imprisonment? They don’t constitute ownership, and if you make a single move ‘Dougie’ I’ll put you through that window.” The man stopped dead. He was effectively out of the game. Kaelan sighed an inward sigh of relief.
Howie kicked out at his friend in contempt, “You want the goodies but you never want to get your hands dirty. Pussy!” he rounded on Kaelan again, “rape? What are you on about? She loved every minute, she was begging for it. She’s fucked more cocks since she’s been with me than most women ever manage. And she like’s a bit of rough, a bit of force, what woman doesn’t?”
Kaelan bridled, “cowardly bastard, it’s easy to force people weaker than you, try it with me, come on, big man. Just try it, I beg you.”
“You should have seen her, she’s a real little slut now. Only the first couple of times I made her do it. After that, she took it all like a champ. How does it feel being married to such a whore?”
“So, you did rape her?”
Howie sneered at him, “Yeah, I fucking raped her, and so did most of my friends. The bitch even got me a plum promotion. What are you going to do about it? Eh? Eh?” He made as if to move towards Kaelan, who was more than ready for it.
*****
Sophie stirred, for a second she didn’t know where she was, then she heard Howie shouting. Immediately, she cowered, rolling into a protective ball.
“…what are you going to do about it? Eh? Eh?”
She raised her head to find Doug crawling out of the room, and Howie lunging at Kaelan. Her heart burst as she remembered what had happened, he was really here. He had come for her. She moaned as Kaelan ducked the blow and grabbed Howie by the throat. He slammed her lover up against the wall and all but lifted him off his feet.
“Youuu...glccckkkk, can’t take her!” he ripped frantically at Kaelan’s hand, but it was futile. Kaelan shook the man like a rag.
Sophie sat up and blinked in astonishment.
“I’m taking my wife HOWARD and there’s nothing…you can do about it. And I’ve recorded all of this on my phone. So, I’d expect a little call from the police very, very soon.” He shook Howie again using both hands and dropped him like a stone.
The thump as he landed reverberated around the room. Kaelan saw that she was awake and came to her, like a child she held out her arms and he swept her up. Sophie tied herself around his strong neck.
“You’re bluffing!” Howie barked, rubbing his throat.
Kaelan laughed, “no, and it’s all gone over skype too. Can you hear me Ells, Cill?” There was a faint crackle, and a distorted “loud and clear!” came from his jeans pocket.
Howie went pale and he actively shrank. Sophie watched with wide eyes. The monster she’d built up in her mind shriveled and died right before her eyes. In his place was a weak, feeble bully gibbering pathetically away to himself. He couldn’t hurt her, or anyone, he was a nonentity. He was nothing. It was evident that Howie knew that it was no bluff, he knew that Kaelan had the means to destroy him, and that he had every intention to do so.
Sophie was not surprised that Doug had fled. She clung to Kaelan’s neck and buried her face in the hollow at his shoulder. He was solid, strong, permanent. She felt safe, for the first time in a long time, she felt totally safe.
They didn’t speak at all on the way home, it was as if there was too much to say. It could wait. When he carried her inside, Carys and Finn were waiting as if they knew she was coming. Sophie sobbed gently into Kaelan’s chest, she was too ashamed to face them.
“Mum? Mum! I missed you!” Finn cried out, she felt his small hands on her neck, tangling into her hair. She couldn’t hide from that. Tears coursed down her face as she let them see her, holding out her hands. Kaelan nearly dropped her as the two kids swamped their parents.
“Steady! Steady on, your Mum isn’t feeling well.”
Carys pulled back, she studied Sophie, her own eyes brimming, she reached out and stroked the bruise on her cheek that was swelling into a dark yellow and purple lump. “What happened Mum? Who did this? Who hurt you?”
It was the final emotional straw, she crumpled and it was all Kaelan could do not to drop her. “Leave Mummy be for now, she needs to rest. Care, can you make us some tea baby? I’ll come down for it in a minute.”
“Yes, Dad.”
She couldn’t see it, but she knew the face he would be making to them, and it sent her into another fit of weeping. It was like a warm blanket of familiarity. Kaelan hefted her higher into his arms and took her upstairs.
He heart lifted as they reached their bedroom, but Sophie whimpered to herself as he carried on to the spare room. He kicked the door open and laid her gently on the bed. She looked into his beautiful eyes and asked, silently, what this all meant? Kaelan merely smiled gently, pulled the covers over her, and closed the door.
Epilogue
It hadn’t been easy. They were five months on from the ‘rescue’ as Sophie referred to it, and she was still sleeping in the guest room. Christmas had been one of the strangest experiences of her life, in many ways it had been the same as always and also completely different. Some of the traditions they’d established were adhere to, but they’d created several new ones. The kids couldn’t bring their stockings into the bedroom to share because they weren’t sleeping together, so everyone had assembled in the living room. It was things like that, that hurt the most.
They had been intimate a few times, but the old warmth and familiarity, let alone, their previous passion had not quite happened yet. Kaelan had assured her that he loved her still, and for now that had to be enough. He’d been wonderful, so she had to be patient.
She sat with her Mum and watched her husband and children playing frisbee on the moor. It was a warm day and she felt sleepy. “Are you okay love?”
“I’m okay,” she replied simply, and took the hand her Mum offered her.
They watched the fun in silence for a while.
Why she had ever put all this i
n jeopardy she couldn’t fathom, the months leading up to the fall and the fall itself felt like a bad dream at times, but the emotional and physical scars were all too real. They never talked about the sex she’d had, or the number of men she’d been with. There was an unspoken no-go area around it. Maybe one day they’d be strong enough to approach it. Maybe that would rekindle the intimacy?
“Dadddddd throw it properly!” Fin yelled, as he tried to fish the disc out of a gorse bush. Everyone laughed at that.
“Yeah Dad, sort out the throwing. I thought you were a sportsman!” Mandy teased him, throwing a wary glance in Sophie’s direction. She needn’t have worried, Sophie knew that she and her husband were more than friends, she accepted it because she had no choice. Kael had made it clear that he wanted Mandy around, and additionally, the kids loved her.
Carys ran to help him, “he’s only a sports teacher Mandy,” she jibed, “and you know what they say about teachers, if they can’t do…”
“They teach!” Mandy finished, setting off another round of laughter.
“Hey! I was a bloody good sportsman in my day, wasn’t I love?” Sophie wasn’t sure that he was talking to her at first, but his eyes were fixed on her and she experienced a deep wave of love for him.
“He was great I’ll have you know young lady. And he still is!” they shared a look, and Sophie enjoyed the sense of reassurance. It was ironic, she supposed, that she’d been the one to open up the possibility of extra-marital relations and yet it had been her husband that had found something that was sustainable, maybe even, in the current situation, healthy.
She couldn’t begrudge him the additional love he’d found, and although it hurt when he was away with Mandy, especially over-night, or for a weekend, she would endure it. Her own adventures were over though, that much she was certain of.
As the four went back to hurling the plastic missile to each other, Sophie reflected on what had happened, not really hearing anything her Mum was saying, but grunting in some of the right places. Her friends hadn’t all come around, some simply ignored her altogether, but Jess had been there for her as always. She was getting married soon, around the same time as Elliot and Liza, so some serious shopping would no shortly be in order.
Howie was still there, in her head, and she was sure he would never leave. The good times at the start were all tainted and rotten, and any desire she’d felt for him had completely perished. She saw him now for what he was, and the way he’d manipulated and used her, and those around her, made her physically sick if she really sat and thought about it for too long.
Fortunately, Carys had seen through Brenda eventually, and they weren’t friends any more. Poor Maggie, it seemed that she was headed for a break down over her wayward daughter.
“Here, Mum throw it to me!”
“No, it’s my turn Mum,” Carys complained, so Sophie picked up the frisbee and threw it to Mandy, which upset them both equally. Her husband’s lover smiled and threw it to Kaelan.
They’d decided not to press charges against Howie, even though Kaelan really wanted to. He’d left the area, and according to Cilla, he’d gotten a job overseas. No one knew what had happened to Doug, but he wasn’t working at Sophie’s old firm anymore.
Kaelan threw the frisbee high in the air, leaving the others to scramble after it. He smiled to himself at the melee he’d caused, then jogged over to Sophie and her Mum. He held a hand out to her, and she rose gracefully and took it.
“Don’t wander off the pair of you,” Sophie’s Mum said, “I want to get some food into those two soon, and it won’t be easy if you’re not here.”
“We won’t Mum.” If her Mother suspected Mandy’s place in Kaelan’s life, she never mentioned it, and that was fine with everyone.
As they ambled out of sight of the rest, Kaelan put his arm around her shoulders, it made her feel safe and protected.
“How about we go out tonight, just the two of us?” he breathed into her ear.
Her heart rate increased, and her mouth went dry, this was a new development in their reconstructed relationship, and it felt like a significant step.
“I’d love it, shall I book us a table somewhere?”
“Nah, I’ll take care of it, I have plans for us.”
She laced her fingers through his, her arm reaching across her chest. “Thank you, baby, I love you so much, you know that?”
He paused, turning to look her straight in the eye. “I do Soph, and I love you too.”
*****
Kaelan was starting to work things out. As he leaned down to kiss Sophie tenderly, pulling her close, he finally understood how the pieces of their life were falling back into place. They were trying to reignite things between them, and not just for the sake of the kids, he still loved her despite all that she’d done.
He was still sleeping with Mandy, but very often when he spent the night at her cottage they slept separately, he just needed space from home and from Sophie every so often. He wasn’t sure whether it would last, as a sexual relationship at least, but he would always need Mandy. She’d become a lifebelt. She was looking for another serious partner now anyway, so he guessed their time as lovers was limited. Sophie knew, but never asked, it was better that way.
Nothing had happened with Cilla, though not for want of her trying. Dave had even texted him to ask if he wanted to fuck his pregnant wife. There was no going back there, though he would take responsibility for the child if ever it came to it. He had made up his mind about being around for him or her anyway. Sophie hadn’t batted an eyelid about that news, which astonished him. But he didn’t want to press her on her feelings, so it had been discussed briefly and then dropped.
He would never ask about what went on during her time with Howie, he simply wasn’t strong enough to take it.
“Do I need anything new for this date?” Sophie asked, pulling his lip between her teeth as they parted.
“No, I think you’ve got everything you need.”
Sophie stroked his cheek, liking the way the stubble rasped under her nail, “I certainly do.”
They might have laughed at that before, but not now. Sophie meant it sincerely and it sent a glow through him.
“Then, when we get home, I was thinking that maybe we could start moving your stuff back into our room? What do you think?”
Sophie squealed and jumped back into his arms, “Oh God, I love you so much Kael.”
He held her to him and listened to the kids playing with Mandy, all against the backdrop of birdsong and moorland tranquility. Life was complicated, it was messy. It was a screwed up, passionate and chaotic maelstrom, but it could be tamed. Or at least, it could be managed. There were still loose threads, still dangerous possibilities in front of them, but they were not going on as innocents. They had ridden the hardest road together, and they were still on the same track.
“Come on, let’s get this lot home. I have to drop Mandy at her friend’s house. Be ready by the time I get back. Wear something…accessible.”
They walked back to the others hand-in-hand. Something had changed, and for now, Kaelan had no desire to interrogate what it was. As a family, they were going to survive.
THE END
A Shared Wife Stolen Page 22
