Robert began to panic as he struggled against the bindings that were keeping him tied up, fighting to breathe as something covered his head, making it difficult for him to get enough oxygen. While he struggled, he felt the bindings loosen and then realized he could sit up. When he did, his bedcovers fell off his head.

His heart was pounding and his body was shaking with fear as he pulled off his blankets from around his body, looking around his dimly lit bedroom to reassure himself he was alone. He fell back on his bed with a deep sigh, putting the crook of his arm over his eyes and tried to calm himself after his nightmare. Why couldn't he forget that shit? Wasn't it enough of a nightmare when he went through it the first time? It was like the sick bastard got to come back to torture him again and again.

Just like he tortured Georgie, Robert thought grimly. But he was lucky compared to her. It had been over three weeks since he'd last dreamt about that day, she got to relive what he did to her every single fucking night. He wondered briefly if she was still having the nightmares. Then he remembered the dark circles under her eyes in the picture she'd sent him and decided she probably was.

While he laid there trying to calm himself, images from the nightmare flashed through his mind. When he saw Georgie's pale slender body lying under that big guard, looking like she was being crushed while he was raping her, a terrible sadness overwhelmed him. How many men had hurt her like that while she lived in that hellish place? How many times had she lain under some big wanker with her blue eyes wide, staring blankly at nothing, escaping into another place in her head to keep from going mental?

It wasn't fair, Robert thought bitterly, she'd never deserved to be treated so cruelly. She'd been so young when it started, just a kid with braces on her teeth. And yet somehow she'd managed to survive. But then that had been the thing about Georgie that had always amazed him. Certainly she had problems, she'd been terribly affected by everything she'd gone through, but after all those years of abuse she'd remained a kind person, caring – and so sweet.

Robert felt tears come to his eyes for the first time in months as he remembered how incredibly sweet she was. She was beautiful, certainly the most beautiful girl he'd ever been in a relationship with, but that wasn't what mattered to him. It was her sweetness that drew him to her. It was her sweetness that made him fall in love with her. And now she was gone.

It was that sick twisted bastard who'd done it, Robert thought bitterly, wiping tears off his face with his hands. He'd been the one to fuck her up to the point where she could barely function in the real world. He'd been the one to make her feel like she had to run away from Robert to escape being tortured by him.

He remembered the bastard's words, 'You can have her now, if you still want her'. As if seeing the proof of how she'd been repeatedly abused would taint her in his eyes. As if having her raped right in front of him would make him reject her.

Robert's mobile started vibrating, startling him. Who the hell would call this early? He found it on the bedside table, then sat up as he looked at the display with shock.

He couldn't fucking believe it. Why would Georgie be calling him? He didn't expect he'd ever hear from her again. Not after that last e-mail she'd sent over a week ago. He wiped the tears off his face, wondering if he should answer it. But he knew if he didn't, she'd just keep calling back until he did. He cleared his throat a few times, not wanting her to know he'd been crying.

"Hello."

"Hi, Robert. It's me, Georgie," she said in her familiar soft voice.

Did she still not understand how mobile phones worked, he wondered, and the thought made him even more sad. He sighed and laid down, putting his arm over his eyes as he said, "Hi." There was a pause.

"Did I wake you?"

"No, I was already awake."

"Good, I'm glad. I didn't want to call too early but – I wanted to catch you before you went to work."

"Well – you did."

"That's good." He kept quiet as the familiar ache in his chest got worse and desolation overwhelmed him.

"I –." She stopped and there was a pause before she asked, "How are you doing?"

"Dunno. Alright, I guess."

"That's good. I'm glad." There was a longer pause and then he heard her sigh.

"I just wanted to talk to you –," she started shakily. He waited a bit, listening to her breath into the mobile.

"Yeah?" he prompted finally.

"I just –," she started with her voice high and shaky and he could tell she was crying. He suddenly felt tears prick at his eyes and he struggled to stay in control. "Will you promise you won't get mad at me?" she pleaded quietly, her voice breaking.

He thought he knew what was coming, and he couldn't help remembering how it went the last time, how incredibly cruel he'd been, how he'd repeatedly hurt her. Then that fucking image popped into his head again, her pale slender body being crushed by a man who was raping her. He pushed it away, quickly wiping the tears that had leaked out of his eyes. He cleared his throat a few times before attempting to speak, struggling to keep it together.

"I won't get mad at you, Georgie. Just say whatever it is you have to say," he said with his voice still rough.

"Will you please come to Chicago?" she pleaded through her tears. Then she added quickly, "I'm not asking you to come to live with me. I'm just asking you to come for a visit – a holiday. I know you don't want –. It's just –." She couldn't continue and he could hear her crying. He was crying now too, no longer able to hold back. He struggled to stay quiet so she wouldn't hear. After a moment, she recovered enough to continue.

"It's just that – you promised me, Robert," she said quietly with her voice breaking. "You promised me – you'd come to Chicago – when we were – back there."

Why did she have to remind him, he thought with despair as more tears came. He didn't want to remember that day in the flat. He didn't want to remember how much in love they were then. It hurt too fucking much.

"I just thought you'd like to come see what it's like here, you know?" she continued through her tears. "Come see the museums – and the lake – and – all that stuff. I don't expect you to stay here. I know you don't want to and – I understand why. It's just that – you promised me – and I think – you should – do what you promised me – back there."There was a long silence while they both cried quietly into the phone.

When he'd recovered enough that he could speak, he said, "I dunno, Georgie. I just don't think it's a good idea, y'know?"

"Please, Robert!" she sobbed. "You promised me! Please don't say no! Please don't hurt me again!" That absolutely broke him and he openly cried while he listened to her sobbing in Chicago.

He didn't want to do it. He couldn't. He knew if he went there, if he saw her, he wouldn't be able to keep his heart from being torn out all over again.

"Please, Robert?" she begged.

No. He had to move on. He needed to forget her. He had to.

"Please, Robert!" she sobbed more desperately. "You promised me!"

He had to stay away from her. He couldn't bear to go through that pain again. He'd never survive it.

"Please, Robert. Please." she sobbed quietly over and over again while he desperately tried to get back control so he could explain to her why he couldn't see her. But every time she said it, his heart broke a little more, the pain in his chest getting worse by the second until he finally couldn't take it.

"Alright, Georgie! Alright!" he shouted as he sat up, desperate to shut her up. "I'll fucking come! Just stop it, alright!"

There was a pause and then she said tremulously, "You – you will?"

"I said it, didn't I? I'll fucking come to Chicago!" he shouted, angrily wiping his face.

"Oh," she said in a small breaking voice. He listened to her breathe into the phone as the enormity of what a terrible mistake he'd just made settled over him.

"Do you – do you know when?" she asked finally. "I mean, I know you have your job – and everything, but do you –."

"I'll get a fucking –!" he shouted, then stopped, suddenly feeling deeply ashamed. He knew he was lashing out at her because he was angry with himself for saying 'yes'.

He laid back on the bed, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger as he squeezed his eyes shut against the pain in his chest. "I'll get a ticket and e-mail you when I'm coming," he said, trying to sound more calm.

"Okay!" she exclaimed, her voice still shaky from the tears. "Thank you, Robert! I know you didn't have to do this! I'm so grateful! I –."

"Enough, Georgie!" he shouted, and then took a breath before he said more quietly, "Just stop, alright?" He didn't want to fucking hear it.

"Okay, okay," she said quickly. There was another pause. "Well – I guess – I'll wait for your e-mail?"

"Yeah," he said, feeling desolate.

"Okay. Well – good bye, Robert."

"Good bye." He waited for her to end the call, listening to her breathing in Chicago.

"I hope you have a good day at work today."

"Yeah." Then his alarm went off and he slapped it hard with his hand.

"What was that?"

"My alarm."

"Oh, okay. I guess – I should hang up now."

"Yeah."

"Good bye, Robert."

"Good bye."

After a moment, he heard a click somewhere between him and her over the Atlantic as she ended the call. He laid on his bed overwhelmed with despair while his chest felt like he'd just had open heart surgery without anesthesia.

He was going to Chicago. He was going to see her. What the fuck had he just done?

****

So did you think Robert was never going to hear from Georgie again after the last chapter? Did you think it was over between them?

The first part of this chapter was not easy to write, and in truth, what I originally wrote a year ago was fairly mild. In some ways it felt wrong to make it as bad as I did, but I knew the bastard would have to punish Robert before he would let him take Georgie home.

I would love to hear your thoughts. Let me know if you think this twist in the story worked well, what you think might happen when the two of them see each other again, or anything at all. And please give me a vote if you thought I did well. Thanks for reading!