“You can stay with your sister. There are spare rooms available,” I tell her.
He answers for her. “Ava’s tired.” Then he looks at her. “Aren’t you?”
“Ah, yes,” she replies and gives me a small smile. “But I appreciate the offer.”
Beau grabs her arm. She flinches. My hands clench at my side.
“Have a good night,” she says before they turn and leave.
It takes everything in me to stay still, to not rip her away from him. My gut churns.
Something isn’t right; she fears him.
I close my eyes briefly. “She’s not mine,” I say to myself. “She’s not mine.”
ONE
CLIPPED WINGS
One Year Later
Ava
His loud snoring fills the room. I watch him closely as I sit up, then drag the duvet off me. When I turn to the edge of the bed, it causes pain to shoot up my side, making my eyes squeeze shut. When my feet hit the floor, I slowly stand, but the bed creaks. It makes my stomach drop. My eyes flick to him, but he’s still asleep. I grab my phone from the nightstand. My feet pad on the floor as I tiptoe out of the room. My heartbeat is surging as I quietly pull the door shut.
Using my phone as a light, I move to the closet in the spare room, then reach up and grab the old beanie. I open it up to pick out the cash I’ve been saving. I take my jeans and a loose shirt off the hanger and get changed. I put on a black coat and leave the hood up to cover my head.
I grab the backpack with shaky hands and sling it over my shoulder. In the kitchen, I grab my purse and place the money inside.
I peek back once more before I open the front door and step outside.
Fresh air meets my face, making me shiver, but I know it’s not just from the cold. I dart down the stairs, then run onto the road, even though every step brings me pain. I run as if someone is chasing me, and even though he’s in bed, asleep, it still feels like he’s here with me. I hope the fear leaves me, even if it means hiding away from him forever.
A few streets away, I reach an area surrounded by trees and bushes and pull my phone from my pocket and make a call, even though it fills me with shame.
When she answers, loud music and shuffling echoes in the background.
“Ava, is that you?”
My mouth goes dry.I’m so weak. I never used to be this person, and here I am, calling my younger sister for help.
“Ava?”
“Hey, Elena,” I say through sniffling.
“Who’s that calling?” a man asks.
“Shh... It’s my sister,” Elena says.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” she asks, sounding worried.
For the first time, I say, “No. I’m not.”
“What happened?”
My stomach plummets. A car rolls by, so I hide behind a tree, paranoid it could be him. “I need to get out of here,” I whisper, my voice coarse.
There’s a brief silence before she speaks. “What’s he done?”
