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Rain pounded relentlessly as Hope made her way through the empty streets, shivering as the cold droplets struck her skin and ran in rivulets down her face, masking the tears that she couldn't stop despite her best efforts. Not a soul stopped to ask her if she was alright, and the few cars that were still around at this hour drove past without stopping. More than once she had to dodge to get splashed as one careless driver or another drove through the deep puddles, though it wouldn't have mattered - she was soaked to the skin, and felt as if she were soaked under her skin as well.
Her feet were sore by the time she reached the bridge going over the river, and there she stopped, looking down on the rain-speckled dark water. The river was running much higher than usual thanks to the recent heavy rains, and as she leaned on the railing, Hope wondered how long it would take her to drown. Watching the turbulent waters swirl by, she judged it wouldn't take too long. Death seemed to welcome her with open arms, and in a swift movement, she kicked her shoes off. One fell into the river, quickly disappearing under the turgid water, and the other she left lying where it fell. Let people guess what had happened to her, she thought, as she climbed carefully over the railing. Looking down again, she shuddered, doubt seizing her mind as she balanced on the narrow bit of concrete that stood between her and death. Her body still ached from the beating her father had given her after discovering the positive pregnancy test she'd neglected to throw out, and his words of disgust still rang in her ears, hours later. He'd not been best pleased to find out she was pregnant, but that had come less from an outraged father's perspective, and more from a jealous lover's.
Hope shuddered. James had always been wildly inappropriate with her, and with no mother in the picture, he'd gotten away with a hell of a lot. As a child, Hope hadn't found his overtly sexual advances too disturbing, thinking that was how all dads showed love to their daughters. It was only when she'd gone to the doctor's for a routine checkup that the sexual abuse had been discovered, and all hell had broken loose after that. Hope had been placed in foster care for a while, but James had won her back by claiming it had all been made up, forcing Hope to lie to the authorities on pain of severe beating, if not outright death.
Thereafter, James' advances had become a lot more covert, and now that Hope had been outed as a liar, any claims were dismissed as more lies, thanks to the small-town mentality where everyone's business was known by everyone else. Hope had had no chance of getting the help she so desperately needed, and now, being pregnant, things were going to get a lot worse. She now bitterly regretted the impulse that had led to the one-night-stand, and as she stood on the narrow ledge, mentally steeling herself for the jump that would end her life, she reflected that, by killing herself, an innocent life would be spared from the horrors that surely would be inflicted on him or her. 130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVKJx9juh03
A car honked, loudly, snapping Hope out of her reverie, and she half-twisted, groaning when she recognise the red Escort. James would never let her go, and he proved it now as he got out of the car, scowling at his daughter as the rain plastered his thinning brown hair to his face. "The fuck you think you're doing?" he demanded. "I didn't give you permission to kill yourself. You're mine, remember? And that brat of yours is mine as well. Get the hell over that railing and in the car, or so help me God, I'll fuckin' strangle you to within an inch of your life!"130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXMXRiCDwmP
"You kicked me out," Hope said, thankful her voice was steady. "You said you never wanted to lay eyes on me again. Well, I'm doing what you wanted."
James lunged at her and grabbed her arm, twisting it painfully and causing Hope to cry out. "You're mine," he repeated. "So get the fuck over the railing before I--!"
He got no further; Hope swung wildly, her free hand connected with his nose. He swore and let her go, but that proved her undoing as she lost her balance, and she screamed as she fell, bracing herself for the hard smack as she hit the water. It hurt more than she expected, knocking the air from her lungs as she sank like a stone, her scream becoming a gurgle as the murky water closed over her head. Flailing, lungs bursting, she kicked, twisting about desperately, trying to find the surface. But it was too dark for her to get her bearings, and her heart hammered loudly in her ears as she flailed about, bubbles filling her vision. Already darkness was creeping in the corners of her already obscured vision, and with a gurling sob, she let go, relieved at the end that she'd managed to get free of her father before he could inflict any further harm on her or her unborn child. 130Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOvBYikUDH9
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