He hurt her again tonight.

Kadin was like a drug, Justine decided. She knew she shouldn’t keep going back to him, she knew he was bad for her… but she just couldn’t give him up.

She was in the shower now; just letting the water run over her, hoping it would wash everything away…. Her nightly showers were Justine’s favorite part of the day. She liked feeling clean every once in a while. Before Kadin she had taken that for granted. Feeling clean.

Her showers also gave her momentary solace. For a while she was completely alone with herself. Without a care. Her own island. But not tonight for some reason. Tonight her thoughts, although she certainly didn’t want them to, kept drifting back to him….

She still loved him. And she hated herself for it. She wondered if he really loved her like he said he did. It was the same story every time. He would hurt her and then she’d say she’d leave him or tell someone what he was doing to her, and then he would beg and plead and eventually threaten leaving her in this god-awful predicament.

Justine knew she should leave him. No matter where she was or what she did that simple fact was always in the back of her mind, hissing menacingly at her—either she leave him or things will turn bad. No. Too late. She didn’t have that privilege. Things had already gone bad. Things would go badly no matter what decision she made. Things always went bad in Justine’s life. She often wondered what exactly she had done to deserve it.

She studied the bruise on her arm with a sigh, knowing that the one on her eye was even worse. She half-heartedly pondered over what her excuse would be this time. Freak bike accident? Fell down the stairs? Ran into a door?

She savored the last of the hot water as she turned the knob to the right and the water flow ceased.

She slid open the shower door and wrapped a pink, fluffy towel around herself. She didn’t even bother drying her hair tonight.

She wiped away some of the steam from her bathroom mirror.

She felt a hot tear roll silently down her cheek as she stared gravely into the face of the woman peering back at her.

The bruise was worse than she had thought. No way would simple cover-up hide it tomorrow.

She felt a lump building in her throat and more tears coming, she tried futilely to hold them back but eventually gave in to them.

She looked in the mirror once more. Her reflection looked even worse now with her eyes swollen and bloodshot.

She was infuriated with herself. Why was she letting him do this to her? She wasn’t a bad person. She shouldn’t stand for this. She wouldn’t stand for this.

Her body now trembling with rage, she silently vowed to herself, never again.