Chapter 5
The room fell silent again as I held my trembling best friend Sophia in my arms.
Gently stroking her hair, I whispered, "It's okay now. Don't be afraid..."
Her body was covered with bruises large and small. My heart ached seeing them, yet I dared not touch the wounds.
"What happened? Tell me everything." I asked when she calmed down slightly.
Sophia remained silent at first, but after my persistent questioning, she finally confessed.
Just as I suspected - Derek had abusive tendencies.
"He works as a personal trainer. Whenever he fails to meet quotas at work, he takes it out on me - hitting me, choking me!" Fresh tears welled up in Sophia's eyes.
"Before you came, he would push me onto the balcony naked and abuse me in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows! These past two days with you here, he didn't dare be so brazen."
Frowning deeply, I couldn't help asking why she never called the police!
Or at least break up with him!
Why keep such trash around?
Was she being threatened?
My gaze turned icy.
Then Sophia lifted her innocent face and said, "But he's good to me."
Good to you despite the abuse?!
Seeing my disbelief, she lowered her head to explain. "It's true he hits me, but it's also true he treats me well."
"He cooks delicious meals for me, buys me skewers after work, gets me flowers when we go shopping..."
"And he's really amazing in bed. I enjoy most of it - it's just the final part I can't handle..."
"Also he likes using his hands during sex, but all men have their little quirks, right?"
As Sophia spoke, she seemed lost in memories, making excuses for Derek with a blissful smile.
A chill ran down my spine.
I never realized my best friend was this love-struck. Even after being abused, she still romanticized her boyfriend.
Noticing my discomfort, Sophia gave an awkward laugh. "Childhood neglect issues, haha..."
Then she hugged my waist pleadingly. "Jasmine, could you stay a few more days? Please? He doesn't dare go too far when you're around."
"Just give me a little vacation, let me rest for once?"
Now she wasn't condemning Derek's abuse at all, just begging me to stay.
Looking at her bruised body, then at her childishly pleading expression, I sighed and agreed.
"Yay!" Sophia tackled me onto the bed, rolling around giddily like a kid.
But in the quiet moments, I could smell the blood from her wounds.
My feelings were complicated.
After a while, she suddenly jumped up. "Oh! I need to go apologize to Derek."
You're apologizing to HIM?
Seeing my disbelief, she explained, "I ran away before he finished. He must be frustrated now."
"I'll say sorry, then we can sleep together tonight!"
Before I could respond, she dashed back to the adjacent room, leaving me in silence.
Our promised sleepover never happened.
She didn't return. Soon, muffled moans came through the walls again.
She never learned - probably getting abused while rolling her eyes in pleasure.
Though she tried suppressing the sounds, her pain still seeped into my heart.
All my previous arousal had vanished.
Next morning, Sophia and Derek were already gone when I woke up.
I went downstairs to greet my husband.
At work, my unease grew until I called my husband to investigate Derek.
Fortunately, my husband came from wealth and connections. Within hours, he had information.
He rushed to meet me immediately.
"What's so urgent? And I'm still mad at you!" I glared from the passenger seat as he drove.
"Forget our issues. You need to come home instead of staying with Sophia." He avoided eye contact, seeming troubled.
"Put our problems aside. What did you find about her boyfriend?"
He frowned. "Just come home first. I'll show you something."
His mysterious manner deepened my suspicion.
Back home, he entered a website - and there was Sophia's photo!