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Chapter 4 - Lies

Ezra got word that Martin was arrested at his law office. They said Martin fought and screamed at the officers, telling them he had done nothing wrong. When they got him to the station and booked him, Ezra decided it was safe for Paula and the kids to go home.

He had seen how much pain Paula was in, and even though they only lived a couple of blocks away, he drove them. When they stopped in front of the house, Paula had Emma take Leo inside so she could talk to Ezra.

"Ezra, thank you for taking Martin away." Emma gave him a sweet smile as she walked Leo into the house.

"Officer, can you tell me what I'm supposed to do now? I have no job and no money. Everything is in Martin's name. So if he stays in jail, we will have no food or be able to pay the bills. If he gets out, he will kill Emma and me. Don't you see that you've made this worse?"

Paula was trying to sound firm but was fighting back the tears. There was nothing good going to come out of this. Why did they have to meddle in her personal business?

"Paula, we can't sit by while he hurts you and Emma. Someone had to put a stop to it before it got worse. Even if he gets out, he knows we'll be watching him. He's going to think twice before hitting you again." Ezra hoped what he was saying was true.

"Officer, the next time we see you, we'll probably be dead, and our blood will be on your hands." Paula got out of the car before he could respond. Ezra watched her walk slowly into the house with pain etched on her face. Her words hit him like a ton of bricks. He prayed that what she said wouldn't be true. Ezra left with a heavy feeling in his chest.

When Paula got into the house, she took a deep breath. If nothing else, she was going to enjoy this evening with the children and no Martin. Emma was already sitting at the table with Leo and looking at Paula expectantly.

"Mommy, what are we going to do now? We don't have to worry about him, so can we do something fun?" Emma felt happy knowing that Martin was with the other bad people. Ezra promised that Martin wouldn't hurt them anymore, and she knew the police couldn't lie.

"How about we order a pizza and watch a movie?" Paula sat down with the children at the table and smiled.

"Mommy, can we really have pizza?" Emma clapped her hands excitedly. Martin never let them have pizza or watch anything on the television.

"Where's daddy?" Leo asked innocently, looking at Paula. She didn't know how to answer him at first. Martin treated Leo better than her and Emma, so of course, he would miss him.

"Your daddy is with the bad people because he hurt mommy and me." Emma spoke matter of factly.

"Okay, kids, let's order our pizza and find a movie to watch." Paula changed the subject before Leo could ask any more questions. She didn't need him repeating anything that was said if Martin came home.

Paula called and ordered pizza which they all ate happily. She and Emma even laughed, which they hadn't done in a long time. After they finished eating, they all went to the family room and put on a children's movie. It was a fantastic night for all of them.

Once everyone was bathed and in bed, Paula cleaned up the house. Even though Martin wasn't there, she felt she had to keep everything as though he was.

When she was done cleaning, she went to bed and got the best night of sleep she'd had since her wedding night. In the morning, she woke when Emma came bounding into her bedroom.

"Mommy, it's almost time for school." Paula leaned down and tickled her until she was in tears.

"Alright, little girl, let's eat breakfast and go." Paula got up and made her bed before getting dressed. She fed the kids breakfast, and then they walked to the school. Paula was nervous that Martin would be released today, but she didn't say anything to Emma. She wasn't going to ruin her good mood if she didn't have to.

Emma ran into the school and to her classroom. When she got inside, she went directly to Mrs. Elrod and hugged her. The teacher was so taken aback that she didn't know what to do at first.

"Good morning Emma." She said as she lightly patted her back.

"Thank you, Mrs. Elrod. Martin didn't come home last night, and we got to eat pizza and watch a movie. We have never been allowed to do that before." Emma smiled up at her teacher, and she smiled back at her.

"You're welcome, Emma. I'm glad you had a fun night. Pizza is my favorite food." Regina loved seeing the excitement on Emma's face. She hadn't looked like that since she started school.

Emma put her things away before sitting down next to her friend. She was in a good mood the entire day, and when her mommy came to get her after school, she skipped out the door to her. She wondered what fun they were going to do today because they didn't have to worry about Martin anymore.

As they walked home, Emma talked about her day in school while Paula thought about what she was going to make them for dinner. When they got close to the house, Paula's heart dropped. She saw a police car in the driveway, and Martin was getting out of the back.

"Mommy, why is he here? Ezra promised he wouldn't hurt us anymore." Emma looked at her mom in fear when she saw Martin staring at them. She knew that look; he was mad.

"I know, sweetheart, but let's hope for the best and see what happens." They walked tentatively up to the officer and Martin.

"Well, look who it is, my loving family. I hope you enjoyed your night without me because it will be the last. Thank you, officer. I'll take it from here." Officer Paul Franks looked from Martin to Paula, who still had notable bruises on her. He was unsure if he should leave. He could tell they were terrified from the look on Paula and Emma's faces.

Paul decided the night Martin spent in jail probably taught him a lesson. He would leave his family alone now because the police would be back for him if he didn't.

"Alright, folks, have a good evening." Paul waved at them as he pulled away. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, but he shook it off and continued home.

"Get the fuck in the house now." Martin said in a low voice. Emma felt fear course through her body. Why would the police bring him back here after she told them what he did? Ezra promised her that he couldn't hurt them anymore.

As soon as they stepped into the house and shut the door, Martin's fist landed on Paula's face. When she fell to the ground crying, he kicked her over and over. Emma ran over to them and began hitting Martin.

"Stop hurting my mommy. The police said you couldn't do that anymore. You're supposed to be with the bad people." Paula tried to stop Emma, but it was too late. Martin turned toward the little girl with fury.

He took Emma by the hair and threw her against the wall. Paula screamed as she saw her daughter fall to the ground. She tried to crawl over to her, but Martin stopped her.

"You thought your life was bad before; just wait because I promise I can make it worse. If you or your brat daughter ever open your mouths again, I will kill you both." Martin stomped to the bedroom while Paula went over to Emma.

Emma was lying on the ground holding her arm, crying. Paula could tell that her arm was broken. She had to take Emma to the hospital, but would Martin allow that? She was scared to ask, but she had to. Paula helped Emma up and had her sit on the couch.

She slowly made her way to the bedroom. Her ribs were re-broken, but she would tolerate it as long as Emma got seen by a doctor. When Paula walked into the bedroom, Martin was changing his clothes.

"Martin, I need to take Emma to the hospital. She has a broken arm. I promise we won't say anything. We didn't call the police; Emma's teacher did." Paula looked down in fear that he would hit her again.

Martin watched his terrified wife and knew she was telling the truth. She would never turn him in because she was too worthless to take care of herself. That's why he had picked her three years ago; he knew he could make her break and do whatever he wanted.

"Then take her to the damn hospital, but if the police come back, you're both dead." He walked to the bathroom to get a shower. Martin figured they had learned their lesson. They wouldn't dare open their mouths again.

Paula quickly walked back to Emma, wincing in pain as she went. Leo was hugging Emma as she sat on the couch crying.

"It will be alright, sissy." Leo said to Emma.

"Come on, kids, we're going to go to the hospital so Emma's arm can get better." Paula helped them into the car and drove them to the hospital. Before they got out, Emma stopped her.

"Mommy, I won't tell anyone what happened. I know they all lie when they say they'll help us. No one can keep Martin from hurting us." Paula felt the tears running down her face. She had set a horrible example for her daughter by making her think they had to lie to protect Martin so they could protect themselves. Unfortunately, that was the only way they could survive.

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