Horrifying Realizations
The porch light flickered off, leaving us in gloom. Janet's words hammered into my heart like an icy mallet. Bella couldn't stand? What truly happened? I turned to Tom, voice quivering. "Tom... Janet said Bella... what did you do?" I had to know. "Get lost!" He shoved me brutally. Staggering, I collided with the cold shoe rack, pain flaring in my back. Without a glance, he barreled into the living room.
Reckless Drinking
He snatched a half-empty whiskey bottle from the table, unscrewed the cap, and gulped greedily. Amber liquid trickled down his chin, staining his shirt. Panting, chest heaving, he scanned the room wildly as if hunting for another target. "Damn it! Just a stupid dog! That crazy bitch!" he slurred between swigs, spraying spit and whiskey. "All of them nuts! Meddling in everything I do!" Fear clamped my heart like an icy fist. This Tom—unhinged, violent—was a stranger. His palpable rage choked the air.
A Lifeless Dawn
This wasn't the man I knew. Pressed against the shoe rack, I stayed frozen, terrified of provoking him. Night crawled past in suffocating silence, punctuated only by Tom's ragged breaths. He stormed off to work the next morning, face stormy. Alone in the house, the stench of whiskey lingered amid crushing tension. Restless, my mind reeled with Janet's furious face and "Bella can't stand." What befell Bella? What had Tom done? Grim possibilities swirled. Mid-afternoon, the landline rang—its shrill bell shattering the silence.
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The porch light flickered off, leaving us in gloom. Janet's words hammered into my heart like an icy mallet. Bella couldn't stand? What truly happened? I turned to Tom, voice quivering. "Tom... Janet said Bella... what did you do?" I had to know. "Get lost!" He shoved me brutally. Staggering, I collided with the cold shoe rack, pain flaring in my back. Without a glance, he barreled into the living room.
Reckless Drinking
He snatched a half-empty whiskey bottle from the table, unscrewed the cap, and gulped greedily. Amber liquid trickled down his chin, staining his shirt. Panting, chest heaving, he scanned the room wildly as if hunting for another target. "Damn it! Just a stupid dog! That crazy bitch!" he slurred between swigs, spraying spit and whiskey. "All of them nuts! Meddling in everything I do!" Fear clamped my heart like an icy fist. This Tom—unhinged, violent—was a stranger. His palpable rage choked the air.
A Lifeless Dawn
This wasn't the man I knew. Pressed against the shoe rack, I stayed frozen, terrified of provoking him. Night crawled past in suffocating silence, punctuated only by Tom's ragged breaths. He stormed off to work the next morning, face stormy. Alone in the house, the stench of whiskey lingered amid crushing tension. Restless, my mind reeled with Janet's furious face and "Bella can't stand." What befell Bella? What had Tom done? Grim possibilities swirled. Mid-afternoon, the landline rang—its shrill bell shattering the silence.
NEXT >>
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