One Day You'll Be Mine(34)

I’d been married to the military since I was 18 years old. I didn’t know much about paying bills. Our bills were minimal because base housing covered a lot. My job didn’t pay a lot, just enough to save a little and enjoy myself here and there.

Most of all, I didn’t want to be seen as anyone’s victim. It’d be shameful to admit I’d let a man put his hands on me. Even if he wasn’t just a random man, but my husband, I didn’t want to drag anyone else into this. God knows the effect this would all have on Jordan, who, up until now, enjoyed a pretty normal life.





Chapter 14: Rose



Natalia called me while I was on Skype with Ellis. I let the call go unanswered, because quality time with him was scarce. He’d become busier and busier these days, and I needed every moment possible in order to feel settled when it was over.

I’d already filled him in on everything Natalia told me. I told him about the constant fighting, the attempts she made to reconcile, and the affair. He was pretty shocked by what I told him.

His disbelief, however, was quite evident when it came to discussion Hollis’s involvement with another man. “That’s not my brother. He doesn’t tolerate that kind of shit. Not even if there’s a policy about it in the Marines.”

“I don’t know, honey. I don’t think Natalia would lie about something like that.” He shook his head again. “She’s been in the family for two decades. Do you really think she’s making it up?”

“I’m not saying she’s making it up.” He licked his lips, looking around his quarters. “I’m just going to say that this doesn’t sound like Hollis. None of this sounds like Hollis to be honest.”

I could agree with that. He promised to reach out to Hollis after he got off Skype with me, and to let me know what he discovered. Honestly speaking, I doubted Hollis would ever come forward and admit to sleeping with another man. An affair? Perhaps. Hitting Natalia, perhaps. But being sexually involved with another man just seemed so far beyond his character.

“Okay baby, I love you. Keep me posted. I’m going to call Natalia back. I’ll let you know what happens with that too.” I waved bye to my husband, who blew me a kiss before disconnecting. I grabbed my iPhone and called Natalia back. She answered on the first ring.

“I think I need to come to Dallas.” She didn’t sound too good.

“You know you’re welcome to visit, but what happened? I thought you were going to wait until you could take a family vacation with Hollis.”

Natalia calmly filled me in from the confines of her hotel room in San Bernardino. As she spoke, there weren’t any words to describe my feelings. I was beyond outraged. First the verbal and emotional callousness, followed by staying out later than usual, an affair, and now physical violence?

It was too much for me to bear. No man should ever put his hands on a woman, and because Natalia was one of the sweetest, most dedicated women I knew when it came to anything in life, I simply couldn’t stop from shaking with rage when I listened.

Inconceivable. Impossible. Insane. How could a man cheat on his wife, a woman he’s been with nearly all his life, had a child with, and accuse her of the affair he’s having, only to get exposed by his man-stress, and still deny and physically attack this woman?

I’d known Hollis over the time I’d gotten to know Ellis and he always seemed to be a friendly, albeit more serious, kind of man. He didn’t crack as many jokes as Ellis, who tended to be the life of the party anywhere, but he always took care of his family. Every new revelation was blowing my brains open.

“You know you are more than welcome to come to Dallas. As a matter of fact, you should have been here like yesterday with everything you’re telling me. Have you packed?” I asked. Taking a survey of my condo, my second bedroom, which had been converted to an office, could be used to place Natalia’s things. I didn’t have an air mattress, but we could get one when she arrived. Then I remembered Jordan. Could they share a room? “Are you bringing Jordan?”

“I’m not sure. I haven’t even spoken to my job. This is really sudden, but it has to be done. I’ve been on a slow decline ever since this started, and now Jordan’s aware. He witnessed Hollis slap me and drag me into the house.” Her voice crumpled as she spoke, her words dissolving into tears. “I don’t know if it’s better to bring him here, or let him stay with his father. School’s starting and I can’t pluck him out this abruptly. He has friends here.”

I could hear a woman’s voice speak soothingly in the background. From what I knew, it had to be her friend Kelli, who was there when everything happened. I never met Kelli personally, but we communicated back and forth via random exchanges on Facebook. Really pretty woman with an even more beautiful spirit if she was there to support Natalia through this.