Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Isabelle felt her throat tightening around her, allowing little air to pass through. Her lungs burned, while her feet failed to obey her command to run. She wanted to get out of there and go straight to the hospital to get checked. Her mind failed to make connections of the events that night. The more she probed, the more the contents inside her head became a jumbled mess.

She could hear whispers around her but she couldn't make out the words clearly. Her father's booming voice however surpassed the rest, she felt every venomous vibration as he roared. "You are a disgrace to this family! "

Every mumble quieted down as the older man approached his daughter in long strides. His shoulders were squared, hands balled into tight fists, while his chest rose rapidly. She couldn't control the tremor that overtook her. ' I didn't do it, please believe me. '

Isabelle felt wetness on her cheeks past the confines of her eyelids. A stickiness she couldn't wipe off, was left by the salty liquid as it flowed uncontrollably. Her hands shook as she attempted to stretch them, to get the hug her father so much liked to give her.

'Don't touch me you dirty pervert.' He stepped back as if his daughter had burned him. The action had the young woman's lips trembling and her chest aching further.

'I never want to see your pathetic face. ' The man sneered, his lip curling upwards. Isabelle had never seen that side of her dad directed towards her. She had never been on the receiving end of such rage, almost palpable.

'No please dad...please don't do this. ' Isabelle sank on the ground, grasping her father's suit covered leg. The man unapologetically kicked her hands with his free leg, a sounding crack following there after. She crawled back, ignoring the stinging pain that radiated from her thumb, climbing up to her hunched shoulders.

'Mum p-please, p-p-please mum. ' She turned to her mother who was silently watching the scene unfold. Isabelle's voice had become raspy and strained due to her inflamed vocal chords. She could barely swallow saliva without her throat burning. She watched in wide teary eyes as her mother tilted her head, directing her sight elsewhere.

'Please.'

She whimpered, stretching her injured arm shakily yet again. Deep emotions stirred violently inside of her. She couldn't believe that her parents were disowning her out for something she didn't commit. What she had perceived as a good evening had turned into the worst day of her life faster than she could blink. Everything she had known was shattered into nothing but shards of glass that were stabbing her everywhere she stepped.

'Told ya! ' Said Sam happily.

Isabelle couldn't even look at him without picturing him seeing her nude. The thought of him invading her privacy like that to a point of taking pictures had the blood in her veins boiling. She picked up a piece of the broken glass on the pebbled ground. With the little energy the woman could master, she ran towards him in wobbly feet.

'I'll fucking kill you, fucking liar. ' She shouted.

Her father however pushed her back, pinning a scornful on her. "You are lucky your cousin didn't file up a case on you, if it were me you'd be stuck in prison for the rest of your life. ' Spat her father.

'I wouldn't want her to stay locked up, I forgive her. She had been drunk after all. ' Chimed Sam, hiding a smirk that was threatening to form. Isabelle couldn't believe that no one was defending her. One look at them and she could see the disgusting gazes they had fixed on her.

'M-um, please momma believe me.' Who was she kidding, the photo was there for everyone to see. How could she even begin explaining to them that she didn't remember a thing that happened that night? She had been pretty drunk, had seeing Sam at some point around the pool but that was that as far as her mind could take her.

'You have 30 minutes to go collect whatever shit is remaining in my house. I don't want to find you there by the time we get home. Isabelle Blue, from this moment I cease to be your father. ' Mr Jenkins, her father roared, the sound resonating in the entire back yard.

'No, please, p-p-please. ' Her voice was barely audible as she crawled yet again, following her father. His nostrils flared, his back tense as he attempted to reign his emotions inside. ' He paused and bent down. He gripped her upper right arm painfully, squeezing the flesh between his fingers. 'If I find you there, If I ever see you again...I won't worry about getting imprisoned for killing such a pathetic, useless whore of a daughter. '

He spat in a low voice, walking straight into his brother's house. Isabelle turned to her mother again, only to see her retreating figure on the other side of the open space. She felt as if someone had continuously stabbed her and left her to die. Gathering the energy she had left, she dragged her weak body towards the front. She stood in front of her old mustang, sniffing loudly. She still couldn't understand why her parents chose to believe him over her.

Her parent's house and Sam's were practically next door neighbours. It usually took only two minutes to walk to either house. Knowing that her father had been serious about his warning, she dragged her feet to their two storey house. Even though she didn't live there anymore it was still her home. She often missed her parents and uncle when she was in school.

She picked a teddy bear that her mother had gifted her as a 5 year old. It was old and tattered but she loved it, couldn't sleep without it whenever she visited from college. She had recently graduated with honours in nursing and had been working part time at a private hospital.

Isabelle had no desire to carry any piece of clothing, she wanted nothing to remind her of the evil that lived in the house except the teddy bear. With an intake of a shaky breath, she proceeded down stairs. The young woman was unable to control her tears as they fell one after the other. She was after all leaving her childhood home and not because she had become of age.

'The pastor cannot know about this. ' She heard her father state firmly to her mother. She couldn't believe that, that was all he cared about. His perfect image from being tainted by her actions.

'Of course honey, it is such a disgrace. ' A sob choked her when her mother replied nonchalantly. There was no single emotion of remorse or pity in the voice of the one person she thought loved her unconditionally. She wondered what he had told her parents to make them believe him without question.

'Pick them up and get the fuck out! ' Dozens of photographs were thrown at her by her livid father. She squatted to pick them up and when she caught a glimpse of one image, her blood froze in her veins.

'No, no, no, no. ' She collapsed in a heap on the rug, eyes wide. Her heart beat resumed, pounding erratically inside of her. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. Her tongue suddenly felt weighty while she became a blubbering mess. She looked at the image yet again then at her parents who were looking down at her in murderous glower.

She attempted to explain but words jammed inside her tightening throat. She could feel her chest burning as she attempted to breathe in. Her vision blurred but the image of her naked on top of her cousin, remained crystal clear in her mind. This was much clearer than the one Sam shown. It showed her face up close with her eyes wide open and her grip around his neck.

'I-I..' She stuttered, swallowing saliva painfully down her sore throat. She couldn't even remember when the photo had been taken. She wasn't even familiar with the place it was taken. Her thoughts became a tangled mess inside her head. She scrunched her head into her shoulders, blinking rapidly. She tried digesting the information, raking her mind but nothing came up. She didn't buy Sam's story about the party.

'See, now you can't even speak. ' Mr Jenkins sneered, pointing at the front door.

She gathered the photos, her whole body shivering from the onslaught of the tsunami that had hit her. She dragged herself up, her brows pulled together. Her tears had dried up as she attempted to digest what she held in her hands. With one look at her parents, Isabelle opened the door and stepped out into the darkness.

She felt numb, a lot of questions going through her. As she descended down the stairs of her front porch, Isabelle couldn't help but ask herself why Sam had gone to such lengths to have her kicked out and disowned. There had been gaps in her memories for a week and the imagination of what could have transpired had her collapsing yet again on the pebbled pavement. Then like a bolt of lightning out of nowhere, bits of images of a party she had attended with her friends began flooding her mind.

One stood out, capturing all her senses and putting them to a halt. She opened her mouth to let out an earth shattering scream but only whimpers came out. She remembered her cousin Sam dragging her upstairs. The last thing she remembered about the party was her desperate cries, the smirk on her cousin's face as she begged him to stop advancing towards her. Isabelle whispered the answer to her previous question in disbelief.

Sam might have forced himself on her.