The next day Alecia changed her classes. She took two more literature, and three writing classes, hoping to find some inspiration to write while Ryder was busy with his job, but there was no inspiration. After she finished her school work, she would sit at her desk and stare at the laptop trying to find a story, but every story she could think of seemed silly and inadequate; especially when she’d look at her bookcase full of books, telling stories of characters who overcame great hardships. So she started writing his biography. If he really was going to be a senator someday, then she would need to chronicle her life with him. She wrote about the moment she first met him, how scared she was, especially when he insisted on walking her home. She wrote of their courtship, the first kiss that made her forget all and the day it snowed. She added commentary of what she thought of him at each moment and how he made her feel so special; she wrote about the look in her father’s eyes a

Alecia lay in bed, staring at the wall opposite of her. Ryder had left hours ago for work, after using her that morning. No, loving her. It was love like he did many mornings. She closed her eyes and images of last night filled her mind like they did every time she tried to rest. He seemed so different. Not the Ryder she knew. She wiped a tear from her eye. Perhaps she had been wrong. She shouldn’t have angered him, but used her love to soothe him into her wish. Her phone rang, but the need to answer it didn’t register until she realized it might be Ryder.She rolled over and answered. “Hey,” she said, not even looking at who it was.“How are you, Ally?”  Alecia sat up and placed a hand on her forehead. It was Taylor. What did she want? “I’m fine.”“Well, can you let me in? I know you’re home.”“Oh, did you knock? I didn’t hear you.” Alecia got out of be

The next morning, Chloe showed up at their apartment with her dark tresses pulled back into a tight pony tail, which contrasted with the form-fitting blue jeans and light pink cashmere sweater she wore. Alecia showed her to the kitchen, where she gathered the plates filled with the remnants of the pancakes she had made earlier. Trina sat at the table, fumbling with a napkin, her blue eyes wavering, probably remembering last night. The breakfast had been strained with Ryder not saying a word, but chewing his food slowly and scrolling through the news on his iPad while she and her sister chit-chatted about random topics, which at the moment she couldn’t recall. After he left for work, Alecia reached for a cup, thinking to pour Chloe some of the hazelnut brew in the coffeepot. Chloe laid a hand on her arm. “Ally, how are you?” Alecia stilled and turned to look at her sister-in-law, noticing the lightness in her eyes.   “I’m fine,” she said.

Taylor rolled over and grabbed her phone, looking at the screen. It was Alecia. She looked at Chloe's sleeping form under the sheets, and got out of the bed. Chloe told her Ryder had been more tense lately and yesterday he had demanded Alecia come home. Something must have happened. She walked into the living room, closing the door behind her, and answered the phone. “Hello, Alecia,” she said.   Alecia broke down into sobs, mumbling out broken sentences.   “Calm down,” Taylor whispered. “You’re making no sense.”   Alecia took a deep breath. “He made me stand naked in the middle of the room while he watched a game.”   Taylor gasped. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. Through fragments of sentences, Taylor pieced together what happened. She ran a hand through her hair. Mr. Hendrix had done something like that before to his wife while they watched from around a corner. Her childhood friend was his father. Ther

He was everything a girl could want, rich, influential, and handsome, but as the muscles of his back rose and fell with each deep breath, she saw nothing but power. Alecia pushed his arm off of her and slipped out of the bed. She stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom, staring at the girl she had become and not recognizing herself. Dark circles remained under her eyes; her skin blanched. Did Ryder still find her beautiful? To her, she looked dead. “You’re only twenty-one and your life has been lived,” she whispered. Ryder walked into the bathroom and ran some fingers across her back. She flinched and turned to him as he took off his black pajama pants and got in the shower. “Alecia, it’s Saturday get in here with me.” She tapped her fingers on the counter. He had always spoken to her like that, but now it held a different meaning. How could she have been so blind? Was she just too enamored with him to realize how he treated her? She slipped off