taken over as I lay there motionless and caught up in a timeless zone of bitter tears that had overtaken my whole being.

My face had somewhat reduced in size. The bruising had started to go but my eyes still appeared very bloodshot. I had been staring at myself in the mirror a lot since his last assault on me.

I really didn’t know who I was anymore.

Gavin had gone out to work and I had called in sick as I couldn’t let my colleagues see me like this.

I sat on my bed for a while, then decided to pack a bag of my belongings and head to my mother’s house for some salvation.

I placed a hoodie over my head and drew the hoodie tight to cover my face as much as I could.