Chapter 4

My weekend has been good to me. I received amazing news on Friday, yesterday I had a fantastic time at the amusement park with my daughter and today Johnny and I will be celebrating my achievement. Ella-Mae was fast asleep in her bed and I had just woken up. I headed to the kitchen to make a cup of tea when I found Chris sitting on one of the dining chairs, reading his Sunday newspaper.

"Good morning," I said.

"Good morning," he replied, still fixated on the newspaper.

"I have some good news to share with you," I attempted to get his attention.

"Mhm...go ahead," he mumbled while still reading.

"I'll be modelling for the brand, "Chanel" and I have my very first catwalk appearance in Paris in three weeks!" I grinned, still astonished by the fact that this was actually happening.

"So what happens with Ella when you're gone? I don't have time to take care of her." He stated dryly.

"She could stay with my mom. But I'm going out today to celebrate. Perhaps you guys could spend the day together, you know, have some father-daughter-bonding time," I suggested.

"Sorry, I'm busy today. Maybe some other time." He sipped his tea and continued reading his newspaper.

"It's Sunday, what could you possibly be doing today? Ella misses you, Chris. She needs-"

Chris slammed his newspaper down on the dining table and leaped after me, grabbing me by my neck and pushing me into the refrigerator. "LISTEN TO ME YOU PIECE OF SHIT! I SAID I'M FUCKING BUSY! WHAT IN THAT STATEMENT DO YOU NOT COMPREHEND? YOU DUMB BITCH!" He squeezed my throat, expelling the anger he had pent up.

"Chris, stop! I can't breathe!" I squealed, gasping for air and trying to escape his grip but the more I did that, the angrier her became and the tighter he squeezed.

"DADDY! STOP!" Ella-Mae called out from behind us. She was distraught, crying and clutching her teddy bear for comfort.

Chris quickly released me and ran over to her. "Honey, I'm so sorry you had to see that," he hugged her as she cried. "Hey, let's go get dressed and have some fun. Later we'll go for ice cream. Come on." He lifted her and went into her bedroom.

I slowly fell to the floor, with tears streaming down my face. I felt lightheaded and my throat was slightly dry. I sat there sobbing quietly, as I couldn't find the strength to move. Chris has always been verbally abusive, but he's never gotten physical. A wave of depression came and washed over me. I'm still in disbelief that he just did that. Maybe it's time to start considering a divorce; In my prerogative, it was well overdue.

I fought to push myself up off the ground and go to my bedroom to grab my phone and my keys. A little time away from the house wouldn't hurt.

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My engine was running to keep me cool as it was a humid and hot July day. This is as peaceful as it gets; being parked in a Walmart parking lot a little distance away from all the other cars. I was still wearing my pyjamas, my hair messy and I looked like a train wreck. I didn't care. I leaned my head back as I broke down again, recollecting the incident. Some alone time is what I need. I decided to pick up the phone and let Johnny know that I'd to postpone our plans.

"Hello, Good morning," he answered.

"Hey, Johnny. It's Nicole. How are ya?" I struggled to fight back the tears.

"Nicole! Hey! I've been waiting to hear from you. How are you?" He inquired happily.

"I'm ok. I just wanted to let you know I can't make it for today. We may have to do whatever you had planned some other time." I informed him gloomily.

"Oh.....that's fine. Is everything ok?" He asked.

The call grew silent as I struggled to prevent him from hearing me cry.

"Everything's fine." My voice cracked.

"Hey, I'm gonna text you my address. Come over to my place and take your mind off things. I promise, you'll feel better." He insisted.

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Within twenty minutes, I arrived at Johnny's Oakville mansion. His maid opened the door, allowing me access. "Good day, señorita, please sit here. Mr. Reid will be with you in a moment. Would you like to drink something?" She offered in her Spanish accent.

"I'm fine, thanks," I sat making myself comfortable on the leather couch.

"Thank you, Griselda. I'll take it from there." Johnny said as he made his way down the spiral marble staircase. He was shirtless, wearing only sweatpants and sandals. As he regularly did, he greeted me with a pleasant smile. "I'm happy to see you, Nicole."

"It's good to see you too, Johnny," I forced a smile.

"Why does your neck look like that? What happened to you?" He asked in bewilderment.

"What are you talking about?" I queried, gently running my fingers against my neck.

Johnny took a mirror from the wall in his living room and handed it to me. Right then and there, I could see what spiked his concern.

"Oh my god, look at what he did," I whispered. My neck was red and slightly bruised all around. This is beyond embarrassing.

"So do you wanna talk about what happened?" He sat on the other side of the couch.

I sighed. "My husband and got in a little altercation this morning and umm...he was....he was choking me," I cried. "And that's the reason I fled the house. He's spending the day with our daughter but I'm still surprised that he did that and my neck feels a bit sore but I didn't realize my neck looked like this."

"Do you wanna put some ice on it?" Johnny offered.

"No, I'm ok. Thank you, Johnny." I replied.

"Listen, I know you may not be feeling your best self right now, but I think we should still go out and celebrate tonight. You deserve it and I just know you're gonna have fun." He asserted confidently.

"Ok, fine. What time are we leaving?" I asked.

"Around 9pm. So just relax. Mi casa es su casa. Make yourself at home and if you're hungry, let Griselda know. I have to go on the road to run some errands but I'll be back shortly." He said, rushing to go back upstairs.

I did as Johnny told me to. Whatever tension and anxiety I was battling at the moment, I made the decision to not focus on it. Instead, I grabbed the remote and turned on the television to watch my favourite channel. Ella-Mae was on my mind; I'm wondering how her day is turning out with her father. It troubles me that he and I don't spend enough time with her anymore, especially Chris. I can't even recall the last time us three spent time as a family. That seems to be a thing of the past; merely memories. Chris was always "too busy" when I had free time with her. I began thinking of all the times we had together and how happy we were; a tear rolled down my cheek. What could I do to mend the brokenness in my marriage? I'd like my old husband back.

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"Nicole," Johnny gently squeezed my hand.

"Hmm...huh?" I jumped out of my sleep.

He chuckled. "It's ok. It's just me. I brought you some stuff," he said unravelling the contents of a Dior bag, revealing a black satin body con dress with matching black stilettos and accessories. "This is your outfit for tonight. After you're done getting dressed, I told Brad I'd take you in for a hair and makeup touch up so you're gonna have them get your hair and makeup done and then the fun begins." He grinned.

I gazed at him in admiration.

"Is everything ok?" He asked.

"Oh, yeah. Everything is just fine. I just....I don't know what to say Johnny. But I'll start by saying thank you and I can't wait to see what we'll be doing tonight." I hugged him.

"You're welcome. Now go get dressed."

After a long shower of scrubbing myself and washing my hair, I moisturized my skin and slipped into my dress and heels, then adorned myself with my accessories. Johnny told me I looked so beautiful that I didn't even need to go get my hair or makeup done because in his eyes, I already looked perfect. Nevertheless, I insisted on having them done just the same and the ladies at the agency did a fantastic job with that.

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Johnny arrived at the agency in a burgundy, long sleeve dress shirt, khaki pants and Clarks. The scent of his cologne complimented his outfit and lingered in the night air as he greeted me once again.

"You first, my lady," he grinned while opening the door of the passenger seat.

"Thank you, my lord," I chuckled, sitting contented in his white Porsche Panamera.

"You look absolutely stunning by the way, Nicole," Johnny complimented as he kept his focus on the road.

"You cleaned up nicely too. So will you finally tell me what we'll be doing and where we'll be going?" I asked.

"You'll see," he smirked.

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Our forty-five minute journey concluded when arrived at the Souvlaki Hut Green Taverna, a five-star Greek restaurant. Johnny escorted me into the restaurant, and almost immediately, we were greeted by the host and handed over to our waitress. We both partook in a three course meal, over which we discussed our backgrounds, our family history, upon other topics. The food was delectable and satisfying to say the least. Johnny paid the bill and tipped our waitress; our journey resumed.

Another forty-five minute journey lead us to the parking lot of a beach.

"Johnny, why are we here?" I questioned, feeling slightly uneasy.

"Don't worry, you're safe," he said confidently.

He cupped my hands in his as we sat in the parking lot. "Listen, Nicole, I know you've been kinda shaken up but as long as you're with me, I won't put you in any uncomfortable or dangerous situations, ok? From a friend to a friend, I have nothing but good intentions in my heart for you," he stated.

"Thank you, Johnny," I smiled gratefully.

He stretched behind him, reaching for a bag in the back marked, "GUCCI", pulling out a brand new pair of black fur toes sandals. "It would be better if you put these on."

I quickly switched shoes and upon departing the car, he lead me to the shores of the beach, on which a bonfire party was being held. There were ladies walking around in white bikini tops and white mini skirts along with men shirtless, in white shorts, prowling around the party with trays of drinks and coy smiles. On the other hand, there were guests dancing, talking in groups and laughing, couples kissing, and others standing around sipping on a drink while observing the happenings of the party.

A blonde haired woman approached us with tray neatly arranged with drinks. "Welcome to the party, guys! Care for a glass of Piña Colada?" She grinned.

"Sure, I'll take one. Looks good," Johnny slurped the drink. "Tastes really good too! Try one, Nicole," he urged me.

"Oh why the hell not!" I took a glass from the tray and tasted the drink. "Mmmm...you were right. It's the perfect mix of pineapples and coconut!" I continued slurping.

"If you guys would like anything else, we have more food and drinks by the bar. Feel free to indulge. Enjoy your night, guys!" The woman said before leaving us to go serve other guests.

"So whose party is this?" I asked.

"My friend from Mexico. Her name is Ana Rodriguez and she's also a model with our agency. I'd love for you both to meet because I think you'd make really good friends." Johnny said.

"I'd love to meet her. I need to get out and meet some friends anyways." I remarked.

"Come on, let's dance." Johnny took my hand.

Johnny held me close from behind as we we swayed to the rhythm of the music together. Weirdly, I didn't mind that we were dancing in such an intimate way. As the Reggaeton music blared through the speakers, Johnny and I danced up a storm, even going off to dance with others. The last time I partied like this was maybe four years ago before I became a mother. It's refreshing to be out and about again. After a few drinks and many dances, Ella-Mae crossed my mind and I asked Johnny to take me home. A part of me felt guilty for having fun especially because I haven't heard from her since she saw her dad choking the life out of me. Johnny took me back to his house and I was definitely tipsy, almost near drunk but I returned home safely. I entered my house to see Ella and Chris snuggled up together, sleeping on the couch in our living room; that warmed and melted my heart like a candle, all in one.

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I was up bright and early, as usual, getting Ella-Mae ready so I could take her to school. For breakfast, I made her favourite: browned scrambled eggs with bacon and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice that my mom made. On the drive to her school, I decided to converse with her and catch up on yesterday's outing.

"Ella, sweetie, tell me about your day with your dad yesterday. How did it go?" I asked enthusiastically. I was elated that she spent time with her father.

"I had so much fun, mom! I went to the movies with dad and Tessa. And then we got chocolate milkshakes and then we went to Tessa's house and she made dinner for us. I loved her barbecued chicken!" She cheered.

"Tessa? Who is Tessa, baby?" I asked uncomfortably.

"She's daddy's friend and she's really nice," Ella responded.

"Hmmm, I've never met that friend before." I said with slight tension.

"But guess what, mommy?" Ella chirped.

"Tell me, sweetheart." I encouraged her.

"Tessa has a big belly and she said my little brother is in there and she made me feel him kicking inside her tummy. I told her to name him, "Justin". I love that name!" Ella buzzed with excitement.

Instantaneously, I slammed on my breaks.