2. Haylee

Her entire body shook as she pulled into the driveway of Tim's town house. She knew he would be at work for several more hours, so she would have plenty of time to pack up her clothes and her few personal items into her car and start driving toward Oregon. Since it was so late in the day, she would have to drive all night, but she would just grab one of the cans of cold brew coffee out of the fridge before she left.

What the fuck are you wearing? You look like a fucking child in that dress. Why is it so hard for you to act like a real woman? A sexy woman! Instead of a fucking toddler that sleeps with a stuffed animal! How the fuck do you expect me or anyone else to take you seriously in that? Go change into something else. Maybe try showing some tits and ass for once like a good little slut.

A shudder ran through her body as his words from the previous night washed over her, reminding her why she'd found herself on the park bench that afternoon. They were supposed to go to a dinner with their friends at some fancy new restaurant. She had dressed in a scoop-neck, long-sleeve, pale blue dress with lace trim that hugged her upper body and that flared out at the waist and landed at mid-thigh. She had chosen it for the long sleeves because she still had bruises on her upper arms from being grabbed by him for burning their dinner several days before.

When she went upstairs to try to find something else suitable to wear, she stood in the walk-in closet, shifting through hangers, trying to find something that was sexier but still had long sleeves. When she walked back down in a tight black long-sleeve dress that dipped lower on her chest, he just shook his head in disgust and told her to hurry the fuck up and get her purse. They didn't speak during the drive to the restaurant. The only words he said to her in the car were right before they got out to greet their friends.

You should probably order a salad and not get any dessert; your hips are getting fucking huge. You are such an embarrassment. It's like you just let yourself go now that you're comfortable with me.

Tears burned in her eyes as she unlocked the front door, putting her keys in the back pocket of her jeans. Double-checking the time on her phone before sliding it into her other back pocket, she hurried up the stairs to the bedroom they had shared. Finding her suitcase in the closet, she started pulling clothes off the hangers as quickly as she could. Her stomach burned with anxiety as each minute passed that she was still in that house.

When she had filled up the suitcase, she zipped it shut and wheeled it to sit by the bedroom door. Grabbing a duffel bag that she used whenever she went to the gym, she started filling that with underwear, bras, and shoes. It didn't take long before she had filled that too and moved it to where the suitcase sat. Walking back into the closet, she saw that her side was already mostly bare. Living in a college dorm, she'd had limited space for clothes, and then when she moved in with Tim, with the small amount of money that he gave her each week, she wasn't able to buy new clothes very often.

Grabbing a beach bag from a hanger so she could go collect her toiletries in the bathroom, she turned to walk out of the closet and gasped when she saw Tim standing in front of her, scowling.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" he yelled.

She froze in place as the blood in her body turned ice-cold with fear. She dropped the bag in her hand and stared at his disgusted scowl. She couldn't breathe. The air she needed was trapped in her lungs as she stood, unable to move.

"I… I need to go…" she whispered.

His fists clenched at his sides, and Haylee realized she was trapped in the closet as he stood in the doorway, blocking her.

"Go? Where the fuck do you think you're going? Huh? You ungrateful bitch, you aren't going anywhere! Do you hear me! You aren't going anywhere!"

Her vision went blurry, her eyes filling with tears as he shouted at her. She needed to get out of there. Away from him.

"I can't do this anymore, Tim. I need to go."

His eyes darkened at her words, his face turning bright red with an anger so dark it nearly made her throw up. He wasn't going to make this easy for her. She just needed to get away from him. That's all she needed to do.

"You stupid bitch. You aren't going anywhere!"

Tears streamed down her face with the realization that he wasn't going to let her leave freely. She was going to have to figure out a way to get out. She had seen him angry, but she had never seen him like this. He stood there, his fists clenched at his sides, breathing heavily as he glared at her. Her shoulders sagged as the fear inside her made her feel as though she was going to be sick, but she had to hold it together. She couldn't break right now. Not until she was out of his house. Then she could shatter into a million pieces.

Squaring her shoulders, she straightened her spine as much as she could to make herself appear taller than her five-foot frame, and she looked him right in his terrifyingly dark eyes.

"I am leaving," she said as steadily as she could.

He moved toward her quickly, which she had half expected. Using the opportunity, she ducked and ran out of the now open doorway, grabbing the duffel bag at the door as she ran down the hall toward the stairs. If she could only get out with one bag, that would get her by. She just needed to get out of there.

She had almost reached the top of the stairs, but before she could take another step, a shot of fiery pain sliced through her body as her head snapped back against his chest. His fingers dug into her scalp as he gripped onto her hair. She could feel his hot breath next to her ear as he pulled her back forcefully, causing her to scream in pain. The bag dropped from her grip.

"You fucking little bitch, you aren't going anywhere. I will kill you before you leave me! You don't know who the fuck you're messing with! No one gets to leave me!"

She struggled to keep up with his words, but the pain in her head overpowered her hearing.

"Leave me alone! Leave me alone! Let me go!" she screamed, trying to break free of his grip, which only caused more pain as he yanked her head harder until it hit a wall.

Her vision blurred as soon as her skull hit the wall, and she felt wetness dripping down the side of her face. Her body sank to the floor as he released her hair. He loomed over her, screaming at the top of his lungs. She couldn't make out the words, only the noise of his voice along with the ringing in her ears.

You need to get out of here. He's going to kill you. Claw and fight if you have to, but just get out of the house. Be brave, be brave, be brave. You can do this, Haylee.

Lifting her upper body from the floor with her hands, Haylee saw blood on the carpet. Fuck. She hated blood. Her stomach turned, and she felt the nausea coming up. She took as deep of a breath as she could and swallowed it back down. She didn't have time to get sick. She needed to move.

Slowly, she got to her feet, swaying from the dizziness that threatened to pull her down again. The walls spun around her, but no matter which way they spun, he was still in front of her, screaming and waving his arms in the air angrily.

Run, Haylee. Get out of there.

She turned and took off, getting halfway down the stairs before he caught her and began laying punches to her face and body. Blow after blow, she screamed in pain with each one, trying to shield herself from his torture. He was truly going to kill her. This was it. She was going to die right there on his stairway. It felt like it was going in slow motion as he continued to beat her with his fists.

Kick him in the balls and run. Save yourself, or you will die. Be brave, Haylee.

Her body had become numb to his blows as he continued to scream and call her horrible names, blaming her for making him do what he was doing. Mustering every ounce of strength she had, she spun quickly, putting her elbow into his ribs, causing him to stop his blows from the surprise hit. As soon as he stopped, she kneed him in the crotch as hard as she could and ran down the remaining stairs two at a time. Swinging the front door open, she pulled her keys from her pocket as she ran and jumped inside her car.

"I'll kill you, you stupid bitch! You're fucking dead! I'll find you!" he screamed from the stairway, where he was left cradling his injured testicles.

Locking her car door behind her, she backed out of the driveway as fast as she could, her tires screeching as she sped away from his house. She couldn't cry. She didn't have time. She needed to get as far as she could before she let go.