Elysia. I woke up groggy and disoriented, staring at the sterile white walls of the hospital room. I stared at the connecting wires attached to my arm, the steady beeping of the heart rate monitor. I tried to sit up but a hand held me back. "Careful dear," the familiar voice penetrated my thoughts. I turned to the voice immediately and my mother's worried face was the first thing I saw. I held her gaze for a long time and I saw a familiar emotion that seemed strange coming from her. Pity. I immediately burst into tears. She held my hand and stroked my hair. "You are going to be okay. Shhhh" she comforted me but it did nothing to soothe me. It made me even cry harder. My body racked with sobs as it trembled. I was exhausted. "Mom, I am so tired.," I whispered, my voice shaking with fear. "What do you mean, honey? You will be fine," she replied, looking at me with confusion and concern. "I can't, Mom. I just can't. I can't face what happened there. I can't go back to that p

. Damon I woke up to the shrill sound of my ringtone. I hissed as I flung it somewhere on my nightstand I would look for it later. It kept ringing and it started getting me irritated. I blindly searched for it. I fumbled for the phone on my nightstand, answered it, and was greeted by the voice of my father-in-law. "Hello?" "Damon? Can I speak to Elysia?" Her father's voice boomed over the phone. "She isn't here," I said. I couldn't care less about where she goes or what she does. "Oh, I...I thought she was with you." His voice trembled, a dead giveaway that something was wrong. "No, what's going on?" I asked, instantly awake and alert. "She never came home last night and we can't find her anywhere." His voice cracked at the end. He didn't finish the statement when I was already up from bed, my snide comment was biting me in the ass. A chill ran down my spine. Every in my body screamed at me to go look for her. I told my father-in-law I would be there as soon as possible a

Elysia I sat in Macy's office, feeling overwhelmed with emotions. She had just told me about the journal and how I write in it whenever I am sad. Curiosity getting the best of me, I decided to take a look. I opened the safe where she kept it, and began to read through the pages. As I flipped through the pages, I stumbled upon a section dedicated to my ex-fiance, Jackson. My heart sank as I read my words, filled with pain and confusion. I wrote about visiting his house and finding him with a pregnant woman. The thought of him cheating on me was devastating. "I went to the house today, to see how Jackson was doing, but he was with a pregnant lady, who seems to be due in a few months. How is that supposed to happen when we only just broke up two months ago? Did he cheat on me? If he did, now I will never know. I guess it's better this way, maybe I wasn't destined for happiness" How come I don't remember this? It was obvious now that Damon forced me into the marriage, but why? I coul

Damon I arrived at the office, my thoughts still lingering on Elysia's words from the night before and the strained breakfast conversation this morning. I tried to shake it off and focus on work, opening the files spread out on my desk. As I read through the documents, I felt a sense of unease in the pit of my stomach. Elysia's words echoed in my head, "Damon, we need to talk about us." I sighed, running a hand through my hair. I settled back into my work, determined to push Elysia's concerns out of my mind for now. I couldn't afford to get sidetracked, not with so much work to do. I shook my head like I wanted to get rid of her in my head. I reached for my pen, ready to sign the documents spread out before me. Just as I was about to make the final stroke, the door to my office burst open, and in walked my assistant and best friend, Julius. "Hey, Damon!" Julius exclaimed, a huge grin on his face. "Guess what? I asked Katie to marry me and she said yes!" I jumped up from my seat,

Elysia. I woke up to the sound of Damon knocking on the bathroom door. I rubbed my eyes, trying to shake off the remnants of sleep. I looked around and I was sure I slept in the tub. I stumbled over to the door to open it and was met with Damon's rough and swollen eyes. "Elysia, are you okay?" he asked, concern etched on his face. He searched my body with his eyes to tell himself that nothing happened to me. I looked down, feeling ashamed and embarrassed. "I don't know what happened," I said, my voice trembling. "I just felt like I was being...raped." Damon's face remained passive but he took a step back. " Elysia, I'm so sorry. I would never do anything to hurt you." Tears started to stream down my face, and I couldn't hold back the sobs that were threatening to escape. "I know, I know. I just...I don't know why I felt like that." Damon took a step forward and pulled me into a hug. "It's okay," he whispered. "Everything's going to be okay." I cried into his chest, grateful fo