1. Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Derek
" S he needs to leave that guy already."
I shouldn't be surprised when my fiancé tells me we need to pick her best friend up from her toxic boyfriend's house this late at night. I checked my watch and saw that it was almost midnight, and I guess that Ryan had already had too much to drink.
"I know she does," Chelsea says, her phone pinging with texts every few seconds. "He's getting furious this time." The worry in her voice is palpable, and my heart sinks with concern.
"Let's go before it gets ugly," I say as I grab my keys. We say our goodbyes to our friends' New Year's Eve party.
"Hey, be careful out there, man," my best friend, Wally, says. "There's nothing but crazy drunks out there tonight."
"Will do."
The roads were quiet as Chelsea and I make the tense ten-minute drive to Ryan's house. When we pull up, the driveway is littered with rowdy friends who have nothing better to do than get drunk or high when they're not at work. I barely put the car in park before I could see the flaming red hair of Faith, Chelsea's lifelong best friend, rushing towards us. She keeps glancing over her shoulder, fear etched in every movement, before she jumps in the back seat.
"Are you okay?" Chelsea asks, taking in the disheveled sight of her friend.
"I will be… just get me out of here, please," she begs as she wipes away the smeared mascara around her icy blue eyes that even I can see from the rearview mirror.
I quickly hit the main road, desperate to put distance between us and Ryan’s toxic grip, but a red light slows us down. Only now can I make out the faint hints of the last bruise Ryan gave her, hiding under the surface of the fading concealer under her right eye. A sickening reminder of Ryan’s abuse.
"You can't go back to him," Chelsea says gently. Despite her soft tone, the tears still flow from Faith's swollen eyes.
"I know," Faith sniffles, her voice trembling with pain and fear. My heart aches for her, praying this will be the last time.
"He's going to kill you if you don't," Chelsea warns, her words slicing through the air of the brutal truth that follows severe cases of domestic violence.
"I don't know where to go," she murmurs as the light turns green. "I mean, I can't risk getting my stuff without him trying to follow me."
My grip tightens on the steering wheel, anger boiling within me as memories of Ryan’s stalking flash in my mind- as I recall the times Ryan would show up at her work, lurking in the parking lot, or how he'd unexpectedly appear while the girls were out together, pretending it was a coincidence. He'd even stalk her social media, leaving ominous comments when she didn't respond to his calls. He's the reason women fear men and categorize us. It just takes one jackass to mess it all up, and the trust line is broken.
"You'll stay with us," I insist, my voice leaving no room for argument. "We’ve got the security system, the firearm, and plenty of neighbors who look out for each other."
It does pay off to have neighbors who are veterans and their families surrounding you at all times. Very little goes unnoticed, and we actually check up on each other like people used to do.
"Are you sure?" Faith asks, her voice wavering with uncertainty.
"Of course," Chelsea replies. "No guy is worth risking your life over. And we're getting that restraining order we talked about, okay? No buts."
"I know it’s time," Faith says. "Thanks for coming to save me, guys."
"It's not a problem," I say. "We're just happy you're safe."
Neither of us pressured Faith with any more questions about what happened to make her call for our help. Eventually, she will open up and speak about the chain of events. Every few minutes, I check the rearview to find the same bruised, broken, and scared girl staring off into the world, blurring past her window.
"Look," Chelsea says, pointing to the time on her phone. "It's midnight. Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year babe," I smile at her, and she leans in to give me a quick kiss on the lips.
But that would be the last kiss I'd ever get from her. Suddenly, out of the darkness, the world comes crashing to a violent halt. The screech of tires and the loud impact fill my ears as diamonds of glass explode across my face. My last sight of Chelsea's terrified eyes before everything fades into nothingness.