the feeling of her

he opened her eyes to the sterile g

He was speaking rapid, flawless French into his phone

d herself up

t part of her abdomen. It felt like a

d drained fr

he plush carpet. She sprinted to the en-suite bathroo

e toilet seat and pul

r of blood stained

rcuited. The world

p the scream tearing up her throat. Her entire b

y and cranked the sink

sked the ugly, broken so

rantic, trembling hands. She threw on a pair of loose s

ring breath, unlocked t

indow, his back to her, his phone pressed to

ved like a ghost, slipping past the

ealed her in, her knees buckled

ing, waving down a passing taxi and g

rapped both arms around her s

d silently. Pleas

ew a handful of crumpled twenty-dollar bi

r ashen face and rushed her straight

x gloves. The room was dead silent, save for the

ceiling tiles, her hea

loves and pulled up a s

" he said flatly. "If you endure any more physical traum

ueezed her

your husband and admit yourself

nt tremor through her limbs.

d, her voice cracking. "I

. He wrote a prescription for

hing a brown paper bag full of pill bo

remembered the look in Bryant's eyes when he spo

is baby, he wouldn't just be

he needed to know for sure. She needed to test his abs

he knew that despite the violent incident in the penthouse today, the ironclad rules of their twisted marriage dictated she had to return t