Elise tugged her coat tighter around her small frame as she hurried home in the biting cold. The bruises on her wrist throbbed, a painful reminder of her boyfriend Brian's explosive temper. She couldn't even remember what had set him off this time—maybe a wrong look, maybe her tone. It didn't matter. It never did. Her long blonde hair now chopped, and her green eyes darted around nervously. Elise had always been slender, but the weight she had lost from constant stress made her appear frail. She looked haunted, like a ghost of her former self.
Brian, on the other hand, was broad-shouldered and intimidating. His short, dark hair was always neatly trimmed, and his blue eyes that once seemed charming now only held anger. He towered over her, using his presence as much as his words to control her.
After coming home late from her dance lesson, Elise found Brian in bed with another woman. This woman was blonde, her hair cut short. Her body was thick and full. She was everything Elise was not. Heartbroken, Elise began to back away. She needed to leave. However Brian wouldn't let her. As Elise stood in the doorway, staring at the two tangled in bed, Brian yelled at her.
"You are late. Is this what you want from me? I am a man! I have needs."
"Needs?" Elise whispered.
"The only thing you need, is a therapist. You egotistic narcissistic a**." Elise gasped. It was the first time She ever stood up to Brian. She knew she was going to regret it.
"Excuse me."
Brian jumped up, running towards Elise. Anger filled his eyes, an Anger all to familiar. Pinching her chin with his hand, he held her face steady. Tears started streaming down her face, as the the woman in bed just laughed.
"I am sorry," Elise cried for forgiveness. She knew not to make him made. One mistake…
Brian laughed, as he lowered his head towards her neck nibbling gently.
"I'll forgive you this time, and to show you how kind I am tonight. I'll help you."
Pulling out a pocketknife from the side table, Brian started chopping off Elise's long blond hair.
"You know, I might actually find you more attractive if you didn't look like this. So, bland. Nothing fun. So boring." He said as he chopped off clumps of her hair. As more tears streamed down her face, The mysterious blonde stood up.
"Oh, now, she looks just like me. I want to be prettier."
Elise turned her eyes towards her, how could that woman be so cruel to another. She sees what is happened, but doesn't choose to help?
"It's okay baby, I'll fix that, No one will ever look as good as you." Brian pulled Elise's face to look back at him.
That's when the blows came one by one. First Brian, then the woman. Elise, small and fragile, could do nothing but fall as they kicked and beraded her. Elise was hurt and embarrassed. Usually in fights like this, Brian would remove everything she had. A sign to show she had nothing without him. She hoped and prayed that he would save her the embarrassment and pain this time. The only thing worse than this would be her death, or would it be a relief?
Once the beatings stopped, Brian and the mysterious woman left them room. However, Elise could still hear their laughs in taunts in the distance. They locked her in here. As Elise layed on the floor bloody and brused, tears streamed down her face. How did she get here? She use to have a loving husband. One who adored her. Never laying a finger on her. Now. He was a monster.
Elise started to feel drops of water gently sting her skin. Looking up, Elise saw the unlocked window opened. Wind lightly brushed the air. As water droplets started to lightly fall from the sky. Now was her chance.
Pressing against the floor, she struggled to push herself up. Only making it on her hands and knees. Crawling over to the window, she gripped the curtains. Carefully pulling herself up without making sound. Throwing her body out the window, she landed on a soft bush.
"Hel..," she went to scream, but stopped herself.
What if Brian heard? She was alone, cold, and bruised. As the rain lightly hit her skin, it comforted her in a strange way. Using what little strength she had, Elise forced herself to run.
Once Elise arrived at the bus stop, reality hit her. She actually was alone. She had no where to go. No phone, no money, and no hope. She was trapped with him, and she had to go back.
That night, Elise never made it home.
Elise stumbled down the sidewalk, her breath shaky and uneven as she fought to keep her composure. The night air cut through her thin coat, but the chill was nothing compared to the numbness spreading through her chest. Her face was raw from tears, her eyes red and swollen, and her wrists ached from where her husband, Brian, had grabbed her in one of his rages. The bruises on her arms and were just beginning to turn purple, a fresh reminder of the explosion of violence she had just endured.
She wasn't sure where she was going. She never was. Every time she tried to leave, something always pulled her back. Brian's words, his threats, his lies—they kept her tethered to him, even when her heart screamed for escape. The weight of it all pressed down on her, making it hard to breathe. But she couldn't go back. Not tonight. Not after what he'd done.
As she walked through the nearly deserted streets, the harshness of the cold on her skin felt almost like a relief, like it could freeze the pain away. Her feet began to bleed, and she couldn't hold back a sob as her body trembled with the aftermath of the beating. She hated herself for crying, for showing weakness. But she couldn't stop it. Not this time.
In her dazed state, she didn't notice the man following her until it was too late. A strong hand gripped her shoulder, jerking her around. Elise gasped, a sharp cry escaping her lips as she tried to back away, but her legs wobbled from the shock and pain. It didn't help that her bare feet were already bruised and bloody from the miles she ran.
"Hey," a low voice called, calm and steady. She looked up, startled. The man was tall and lean, with auburn hair that fell to his shoulders, and grey eyes that seemed to be studying her every move. He was dressed in a worn leather jacket, looking almost out of place in the quiet night. But, it was no stranger than Elise. Running from her husband, with no time to change. She stood below him in a black dress covered with small traces of blood. Her blonde hair was tangled and matted. The only thing normal tonight, was her crystal blue eyes.
His gaze flickered over her, noticing the bruises on her arms, the tear tracks on her face, but he didn't say anything about them. His lips curled into a faint smirk as he watched her, but it wasn't cruel—just distant, as if he had seen enough to not be surprised by her appearance.
"Everything okay?" he asked, his voice carrying a hint of curiosity.
Elise couldn't find her voice, her head spinning from the combination of fear, exhaustion, and overwhelming relief. Would this man save her? Maybe she could get out of here, away from Brian. She couldn't go back to him. Not again. But she couldn't speak—she couldn't explain anything. She just shook her head and took a step back.
The man took a step forward, his grip tightening on her shoulder. "I would not do that if I were you."
Before Elise could react, a sharp pain shot through her chest as her breathing started to slow. Her heart skipped a beat. She felt the darkness pulling her under. but before she could fall completely, the world around her spun and went black.