6: SIX

R O S A L I E I opened the front door and stepped inside. The house was quiet, and I knew that Casper and his friends weren't back yet. Good. It gave me some time to think. I walked upstairs to our bedroom, my heart feeling very heavy. I had to pack my bags. I had to get out of here. But where would I go? I had no one. My family were nothing to write home about. No friends. Well, I had Freya. But she was in a different pack, and I couldn't ask her to take me in. It was too much of a burden. I went to the closet and pulled out a suitcase. I started throwing my clothes in, not caring if they were wrinkled or not. I was packing my toiletries when I saw it. The wedding dress. It was hanging in the corner of the closet, and it suddenly brought back a flood of painful memories. Tears welled up in my eyes as I realized just how weak I had been, just how easily manipulated I had been. I had been willing to starve myself, to destroy myself, all for a man who saw me as nothing more than a fat ugly pig. I walked over to the dress and touched it. The fabric was soft and delicate. It was beautiful, but it was a lie. A love that never existed. It went against my body size, and due to my obsession with pleasing people, I had almost destroyed my body. And for what? A man who never loved me. I took it off the hanger and looked at it for a long moment. And then I did something that I never thought I would do. I ripped it. I tore it in half, the fabric ripping with a satisfying sound. I tore it again and again, until it was nothing more than a pile of shredded fabric on the floor. Then the hot tears finally burst through. I collapsed onto the floor, my body shaking with sobs. I cried for the girl I used to be, for the woman I had become, and for the future I had lost. I cried until there were no more tears left to cry. Seeing Casper with that girl tonight, hearing what he said about me. It broke something open in me. A part of me that had been dormant for a long time. I sought out validation so much that I’d forgotten how to validate myself. I picked up my phone and called the one person that had always been there for me. Freya. "Rosalie? Are you okay? It's so late." Her worried voice instantly calmed me. "He cheated, Freya. Casper cheated," I sobbed into the phone. "He doesn't love me. He never did. I saw it with my own two eyes. He couldn’t even respect me on my birthday, and the worst part is I believed him. I believed I was so unlovable, because all everyone ever told me was I wasn’t enough." "Stop. Right. There." Freya's voice cut through my voice. "Don't you dare say that about yourself. Don't you ever let that bastard's words become yours. He is a scumbag and a monster. You are not what he says you are. You are kind, you are strong and you are so loved. By me. By your wolf. And by someone who will see you for the goddess you are. That f*****g prick never deserved you." "Freya, I..." "No 'buts', Rosalie. You're coming to stay with me. I don't care what it takes. You are not staying there another night. Pack your bags, I'm coming to get you. Where are you?" "I'm in our room. I'm packing already." "Good girl," she said, her voice softening. "I hate that it had to happen this way for you to realize how toxic he is. I'm so sorry you had to go through that alone, but you're not alone anymore. I’m on my way. Just hold on a little longer, okay?" "Okay," I whispered, a wave of relief washing over me. "I love you, Rosie. We'll get through this together." "I love you too." I hung up the phone and wiped away my tears. I finished packing my suitcase, thankful that my hands were no longer shaking. I went to the bathroom and looked at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes were puffy and red, and my face was pale and stained with my tears. But for the first time in a long time, I saw a flicker of the old me. The girl who was confident and happy. The girl who loved her body, curves and all. And the moment I decided to give love a try, I was destroyed in the worst way possible. Casper was not the one. The Moon Goddess had made a mistake by mating me with such a cruel and evil man. "You deserve better," I told my reflection. "We deserve better." I was so done with love. Never again will I let any man are me feel this way. I took a deep breath and walked out of the bathroom. I grabbed my suitcase and walked out of the room, not even sparing a single glance back at the pile of shredded fabric on the floor. I had just walked down the stairs when I heard the front door open. Casper stumbled in, his shirt untucked and his hair was a mess. He reeked of cheap perfume and alcohol. He was alone. He saw me and for a second, he looked surprised. Then his expression turned to one of anger. "Where the hell have you been?" he slurred, his eyes narrowing. "I've been looking all over for you." I couldn’t hide the disgust I felt when I looked at him. I could still smell her perfume on him. "How could you have seen me when you were so busy f*****g the waitress in the men’s room?" I said, my voice surprisingly strong. It was the first time I was standing up to him, and a surge of adrenaline shot through me. I expected him to deny it, or to get angry. But he didn't. He just smirked, a look of amusement in his eyes. Then a slow cruel smile spread across his face. "So you saw. Good. Maybe now you'll understand how I want you to be. Maybe now you'll finally get it through your thick skull that you need to lose weight. That you need to change. That you need to be better." His words were like a slap in the face, but they didn't hurt me the way they used to. I was done letting him control me and define my worth. "You are a despicable man, Casper. I'm so done with you constantly trying to change me. I'm done with you trying to mold me into your perfect image of a woman. You are a monster. I'm leaving you," I thought that he would be angry. That he would hit me or beg, or something. Instead, he started laughing. "You?" he scoffed, his laughter filling the room. "You're leaving me? Where would you go? No one wants you, Rosalie. You're nothing without me. Your own family doesn't even want you. And you think someone else will? You're fat and you're pathetic." "I'd rather be fat and pathetic than be with a cheating scumbag like you," I shot back, my hands clenched into fists at my sides. His smirk faltered for a second, replaced by a flash of anger. "You wouldn’t dare leave. You know you'll never find another mate. I am all you have. I'm doing you a favor by even being with you." "You're right," I said. "I will never find another mate. Because the Moon Goddess made a mistake by pairing me with you. But I don't need a mate to be happy. I don't need you." I had never seen him this angry before. His eyes were blazing with anger, and I could see the vein throbbing in his forehead. "You ungrateful little b***h!" he snarled, grabbing me by the neck and slamming me against the wall. The back of my head hit the wall with a sickening thud and for a second, my vision went black. Casper tightened his grip on my neck, his face inches from mine. "You're not going anywhere. I won't let you. You belong to me. You're my mate. My property. And I'll do whatever it takes to keep you." I could feel the air being squeezed out of my lungs and I gasped for air, my hands clawing at his arm. He was too strong, I couldn't break free. Then I raised my knee and kicked him where the sun doesn't shine. He yelped in pain and let go of me, stumbling back and clutching his balls. I took the opportunity to run. I didn't even think about my suitcase. I just ran for the door, my heart pounding in my chest. I fumbled with the lock, my hands shaking so much that I could barely get it open. I could hear him behind me, cursing and screaming. "You'll regret this, Rosalie! You'll come crawling back to me! You'll see!" I finally got the door open and Freya’s car was already pulling into the driveway. I didn't hesitate, I ran to her car and got into the passenger seat. "Go! Go! Go!" I screamed, my voice raw with fear. She didn't ask any questions. She just slammed on the gas and we sped off, leaving Casper and the life I once knew behind. I looked back and saw him standing in the doorway, a look of pure hatred on his face. And in that moment, I knew this wasn't over. But I was done being afraid. I was finally free.