A new chapter is up and I hope you like it... 

Comments and votes are appreciated and as always, thank you for all the support! 

I decided I won't rant as usual but rather let you enjoy the chapter ;)

**

"You look like you ate a fucking box of Christmas decoration!" Matty exclaimed after he was done with observing George moving around the kitchen, cooking dinner. They didn't had too much time left before going on the road around the Europe so they decided to gather some of the closest friends tonight. And although their dinner will probably end up as being wasted, George still wanted to show off his chef skills. "I hardly doubt that cutting a fucking carrot makes you happy."

"It doesn't," George replied calmly, taking the cut vegetables in his big palms and throwing them in the pan. "I am just in a good mood."

"I don't believe you a fucking word," Matty replied. "I am still positive that you've got yourself a woman." Matty walked to the small breakfast island and looked through their piled post. "Maybe that Nellie girl," he added more to himself than to his best friend.

George heard it but decided to keep Nellie for himself for a bit more. He was still between dream and reality, not quite believing that he had actually talked to her but his happiness was hard to lock down. George had been thinking a lot about her since last night, wondering why she sounded so sad and silent and wondering who the man was who answered the phone when he first called.

"I couldn't stop thinking about you," he had said to her.

"George..." she just sighed out but he could feel the emotion laced with shyness in her voice.

And that was all he needed.

For now.

**

Marcia observed her best friend as she put the plates on the table. Her face had yellow spots on the skin but the most prominent thing was a dark blue circle that adorned her left eye. Her bottom lip was swollen and cut at the corner while her wrist was red and bruised. Marcia was afraid to even imagine how her arms looked under her long sleeves.

"Nellie," Marcia called out softly. Nellie just hummed once as she put the cutlery down on the table. "Nellie, look at me."

Nellie stopped in mid of what she was doing and looked at Marcia for a second but then she decided to look down at the table again. She didn't want to talk about it – she was ashamed to talk about it. Nellie was sure what Marcia was thinking, she was sure in what Marcia wanted to talk about and she was more than sure that Marcia will ask her why she just doesn't leave but she didn't know how to answer her best friend.

She had nowhere to go and she couldn't bring herself to become a burden to Marcia and Maël. She didn't want Marcia and Maël to have problems with Clive just because he had problems with her. And at last, she had no money on her to escape somewhere alone because Clive was the one who took care of their finances.

After what happened three days ago, Clive started to pretend like it was nothing. He even told her to cook up some nice lunch and invite Marcia and Maël over to have a good time. She was confused and furious but she had no strength to do anything about it – she was still broken. Part of her knew that Clive wanted her friends to see what he is capable of doing to her. He wanted to show the world how stupid she was to stay with him but less did they know that she was trapped.

And although she was shattered, there was something that made her cope easier and it was the memory of George's voice coming through the speaker telling her how much he thought of her. Even if that wasn't true, if he lied, Nellie didn't mind. It was something that made her forget on the pain but focus on the nice memories that were confined in some corner of her brain.

He didn't call after that night, but just because she asked him not to. Afraid of Clive, of her life and her reality, she told him that she will call him soon. And yet, she never did. But she will – she promised and she isn't someone to break those.

"I might not be the brightest bulb out there, Nellie," Marcia voiced after few minutes of silence. She reached out over the table they were setting and grabbed Nellie's, "but I am not blind." Nellie looked up, slumping with her shoulders and giving her friend a weak smile.

"It's nothing," she whispered, looking over to the living room where Maël and Clive sat in silence, drinking their drinks and occasionally commenting the basketball game that was playing on the TV.

"You are all bruised and frankly, I am afraid to think how you look under that," Marcia moved her finger, pointing at Nellie from head to the toe. "Nellie, why are you letting him do that to you? Why didn't you call me, call Maël?"

Nellie glanced at her husband and quickly looked away when their eyes met and his brows furrowed. "Let's not talk about it now, please. Let's just try to enjoy the food." Marcia wasn't happy with the answer but she let it go, for now. Nellie was beyond scared of Clive but she was more scared of what could happen if she actually acted against him. "I'll go check on the roast. Can you please call the guys?" Nellie asked, giving Marcia her best fake smile. Marcia nodded as Nellie walked to the kitchen.

The food looked beautiful, it smelled good too and the table was looking absolutely fantastic. The only thing that four people around it missed was atmosphere. Clive was eating, chatting with Maël about Maël's position in City Hall, telling him things that didn't really matter. Beside that scraping of the cutlery over the white round plates were the loudest thing to hear.

When they finished their food, Maël leaned back in the chair and smiled at Nellie. "This was the best meal I had in a while."

Marcia gasped jokingly while Nellie let out a small giggle. "Thank you, Maël. I can give Marcia the recipe, if she wants."

"Girl, you know that the cooking skill I am most proud of is ordering a Pad Thai to my door," Marcia replied with a grin, taking a sip of her lemon water. Clive muttered something under his breath and Nellie tried to ignore it while she smiled at her best friend.

"Anelliese," Clive suddenly said, leaning forward to the table, resting his elbows on it. "I think this occasion calls for that wine I keep in the cupboard. The good one." He smiled politely at Maël and Marcia. "Go get it."

Nellie nodded, pushing her chair back and walked to the wine cupboard, squinting her eyes as she scanned Clive's impressive wine collection. Then she pulled out a bottle and nodded to herself, noticing the label on it. She put it on the breakfast bench and turned around to grab the glasses from the top shelf. Not being the tallest person on the world, she propped herself up on her toes as she reached for them, holding the balance with one hand on the countertop.

That's when it happened and Nellie's heart almost stopped.

She lost her balance, and trudged backwards not being able to stop, her back hitting against the bench. The next thing she heard was a glass breaking and she actually cried out, realising that the red liquid was all over the tiled floor.

"YOU STUPID WOMAN!" Clive shrieked from the table that was few feet away, toppling over the chair as he pushed it back and walked over to where she was in few quick strides. Maël and Marcia were on their feet too, walking after Clive – more afraid for Nellie than anything else. "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?" Clive yelled as he stepped over the broken bottle pieces and without hesitation grabbed Nellie on her, already bruised shoulders. "DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THAT WINE COST??!!?" Clive was shaking her as if she was a raggedy doll.

"I am...I am...I am sorry." Nellie closed her eyes, afraid to face his mad face.

"Clive," Maël warned slowly and sternly, but Clive ignored him.

"YOU ARE SORRY?!" Clive was still shouting, not lowering his voice at all.

"It's just a...—"

Nellie wasn't able to finish her sentence because Clive's hand connected with her face as he slapped her hard and for a moment Nellie thought she passed out.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Marcia yelled out too, her voice firm but she was scared, she was scared to death as Clive looked at her. "Maël, please!" she cried out, looking at her husband who was already few steps closer to Clive. Clive tried to push him away but Maël grabbed him by his arm and pulled him back. Maël maybe looked like an artsy Frenchman but he was still stronger than Clive. He pulled Clive's hands behind his back, ignoring his kicking and profanities that left his mouth.

"Help her," he said, keeping Clive at the distance. "AND YOU, CALM THE FUCK DOWN!" he yelled at Clive.

Marcia ran over to Nellie who was balancing herself against the sink, holding on her ribs and trying to ignore the vomit that threatened to come out. Marcia hugged her, patting her head as Nellie cried, staining Marcia's denim shirt. Maël was still restraining Clive back who was now calming down but still looked furious.

"You are coming with us," Marcia said determinedly, breaking the silence and looking at Clive. Her eyes were angry and she never wanted to kill someone but Clive was first on her list.

"She is my wife!" Clive snarled from the other side of the kitchen.

"She is not your property, Clive!" Marcia snapped back, and led Nellie around the other side of the kitchen. "Where are your documents?" she whispered and when Nellie responded, she let her go and walked to the small commode in the living room, finding what she looked for and placed them in her back pocket.

Maël let go of Clive, slowly and stepped back, but still stood in front of Marcia and Nellie. "Anelliese," Clive called out, his voice laced with fake guilt, "are you really going with them?" He stepped forward but Maël raised his hand and Clive stopped. "Come on, we can talk it out. I am sorry."

Marcia let out a frustrated growl. "Shut up, Clive!" She gently embraced Nellie around her shoulder, supporting the weak girl. "Come on, let's go Maël."

"You two need to stay away from each other," Maël said to Clive, playing on the negotiating card as he walked backwards. Clive slid down the wall, sitting in the pool of spilled wine. "She needs to rest and you need to clear your head." Clive nodded, looking at Nellie and Marcia who was leading her outside.

"You got everything?" Maël asked as they reached the hallway and the doors.

Nellie nodded, but then realised something and quickly shook her head. "Wait," she mumbled as she stepped away from Marcia and ignoring the pain in her ribs, opened the bottom drawer of the dresser. She pulled out a denim jacket that was stuffed carelessly inside and held it close to her. Marcia and Maël were confused but they didn't ask anything. "Now I got everything."

As Maël backed out of the driveway, Nellie looked at house she shared with Clive and something inside of her told her that this was the last time she would see it in the near future.