Breathe | ✓

||17||

Safe Haven

Erica

[three days before andrew's re-arrest]

Erica stood straight as Andrew inspected her body. She wanted to whimper, she wanted to cry but most of all she wanted to plunge a knife right through Andrew's thick skull.

"Beautiful." Andrew murmured near her ear and it took every ounce of Erica to not spit on his face. The last she wanted was an angry Andrew. The scariest Andrew. "When I first saw you, Erica, I just knew that you'd grow up to be a stunning lady and look at you now. Gorgeous."

He took a tendril of Erica's hair and twirled it around, kissing her jawline. Erica wanted to resist, wanted to shove him away, wanted to kill him but she stood her ground as his hands travelled down her body. He could overpower her in seconds. She had already tried hurting him and there was a dark purple bruise on her stomach to prove that he was much stronger.

His hands travelled all over her stomach, his fingers touching her places where she hadn't given him permission to. She could feel the ghost of a tear on her eyelid but she blinked them away and made her face as impassive as ever.

Suddenly, he whacked her ass hard. "You're not moaning for me, Erica." He said and bit her neck so hard, she screamed in pain. She moaned but in pain not pleasure. Andrew didn't know the difference as he continued to hurt her...physically, mentally.

Erica was exhausted. A single tear escaped before she could blink it away. How could she escape?

[after andrews re-arrest]

Erica chewed on her lip as she waited for Twitch's release. As he had expected, Andrew had tried filing for an assault but Erica had proved as a witness for Twitch's story whereas Andrew had none. He was immediately ruled guilty and had to serve another seven years in prison for rape and sexual assault charges.

Not the wisest move, Andrew. Going back to rape the victim that landed you in prison in the first place.

Erica had made a short statement when she was on the stand and thankfully, the lawyers had kept the questions to a minimum unlike when she was 13...She shuddered as she remembered, sitting all alone and trying not to be scared, trying not to cry.

Her parents were here now. Her rich parents with their damaged daughter. Her dad had attempted to make her feel better but to no avail.

'Cupcake, remember I used to call you that? You used to be that sweet.' Her dad had said, in an over exaggerated cheery tone that made Erica feel a frustration she couldn't put in words.