Hello readers! I just wanted to say thank you for choosing to read my first book, and I hope you enjoy it!

Also, this book contains violence, rape and mature scenes. Please don't read this book if you have any triggers. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Leah POV

I've never been a lucky person. It started when my mum died when I was 9. It was sudden, and my dad lost himself. He locked himself in his room and never did anything, making me have to look after the both of us. This went on until I was 17, when I met the man who changed my life.

Lucas Diaz.

I met him at school, and for months after that, we hung out with my best friend as a child, Mary. Lucas and I got closer, and 7 months after we met, he asked me to be his girlfriend, to which I said yes.

That was the worst choice of my life.

The two of us dated for a year and half, and I thought we were happy. But I thought wrong. It all started when he came home from work. I remember that night so clearly. I had just finished setting up the table when he came home. Lucas and I moved into a house after we graduated from high school, and eventually managed to buy it from Lucas' work money.

Once Lucas hung up his coat, he made his way to the dining table and sat down. He scanned his empty plate and leered at me.

"Where's my dinner?" Lucas demanded, his eyes turning to slits as he kept his gaze focused on my figure in the kitchen.

"I had to finish setting up the table, so I just have to finish this up real quick." I answered, moving quicker. Lucas stood from his chair at the table and stalked his way over to me. I inclined my head to look at Lucas, and slowly my hands stopped functioning and stilled when I took in Lucas' demeanor.

Lucas walked with aggression, never taking his eyes off me. Before I knew it, Lucas had a firm grasp on my arm, causing a pain to shoot up my arm. He dragged me out from the kitchen and to the dining table. Lucas yanked me from behind him and brought his free hand to the back of my head. His fingers tangled themselves in my hair and gripped it with such strength, my hair felt like it was going to rip out of my skull.

Lucas forced my head to the table with speed, my head rattling the table at the impact. There was a searing pain in my head, and I felt a trickle of blood run down the side of my face. Lucas lowered his head slowly to be leveled with my ear as my heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest.

Lucas' lips brushed my ear, making my body involuntarily shiver in fear as he spoke.

"When I come home after working and making money that I spend for you, I expect my food to be on the table in my clean house. Am I understood?" I was frozen in place, my head still throbbing as I attempted to steady my breathing.

Lucas raised my head and slammed my head into the table again, the forks rattling against the plates mixing with my yelp of pain.

"I said," he spoke, his voice only getting more threatening, "am I understood?" Lucas pushed my head deeper into the table, the throbbing in my head getting worse. I gritted my teeth and squeaked out a 'yes'. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lucas lips lift into a malicious smirk, pulling his head away from mine. I felt him unwind his fingers from my hair and him pulling away from my body.

I slowly raised myself from the table, wincing from the pain in my head. I cleaned myself up and continued on with my night.

That was my mistake. I never told anybody about what he did. I thought that it was a one-time thing and that we could move on with our relationship. Boy, was I wrong. Lucas kept on getting violent, and more and more frequently. He kept me locked in his house and made me do things I didn't want to do. The only person I could talk to was Mary.

The only time I had to myself I spent with Mary. She was my oldest and best friend for years, and I told her everything. I had to beg Mary to not tell anybody about what Lucas did behind closed doors, especially the police. Mary reluctantly agreed and supported me all the way, willing to talk to me at any time of the day to calm me down and comfort me. But she had some conditions in keeping my secret.

She paid for both of us to take weekly fighting lessons during the day so Lucas wouldn't find out. She always tried to convince me to use the defense when Lucas tried to hit me, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

He just made me feel so empty. I was always so confident in other aspects of my life, but when I was with Lucas, it was liked he ripped all of my confidence away from me.

She also wanted me to visit her every Monday afternoon to hang out. It stayed that way for 2 more years: beatings from Lucas and hangouts with Mary.

Until last night.

I just couldn't take it anymore.

It was another night of threats, cruel words, and beatings once Lucas came back from work. I was on the floor, bloody and battered. He had just finished beating me and was walking away from me when the words came out of my mouth before I could even stop them.

"I want to break up."

Lucas stopped in his tracks. The silence was deafening, and I felt my stomach start to drop as he turned around. Lucas' eyes met mine, but as mine was filled with fear, his were ablaze with fury.

"What did you say?" Lucas asked in a disturbingly quiet voice as if he were challenging me to repeat myself. I swallowed the large lump in my throat.

"I said I want to break up." I tried saying this boldly, but Lucas and I both knew that that wasn't the case. He walked up to me, purposely moving slowly as his footsteps echoed through the room. Lucas kept walking to me silently as I stayed frozen in place on the cold, tiled floor, covered in my own blood. Lucas stopped in front of me and stared at me for what felt like hours before he gave me a sickening smile.

"You shouldn't have said that." That was all I heard him say before I blacked out when Lucas' fist collided with my jaw.

* * * * *

When I came back to consciousness, I realised I was still in the same place as I was the night before. I saw light coming through the curtains, so that meant that it was morning and that Lucas would already be at work. I tried to sit up, but my body ached at the effort. My eyes scanned my body as I felt my stomach drop.

I was covered in cuts and bruises all over, seeing dry blood all over myself. Well, more than usual. It was a horrific sight, and it was at that very moment that I knew that I had to leave that house of nightmares at once.

Although my body screamed at the effort, I rose to my feet, wobbling slightly as I stood. I glanced at my phone that was still on the kitchen table where I left it last night.

Last night. I can barely remember what happened. I tried to think back to those few hours ago, but my head gave me a wave of pain. I groaned as I brought my hand to my head, massaging it slightly.

Ignoring that fact, I stumbled my way to the table, grasping the phone in my hand. My hands were shaking as I found Mary's contact and clicked 'call'. The phone rang three times before I heard a familiar and comforting voice.

"Hey, Leah. You alright?" Mary's voice echoed through the somewhat empty room.

"Hey, Mary. I'm not doing so good." I decided that I needed to tell her everything that happened, well, at least everything that I remembered.

"What happened? What did Lucas do?!" Worry was evident in her voice as she spoke through the phone.

"Could you come over and help me? I will tell you here." I could hear keys jingling through the phone and a door slam before Mary even replied.

"Give me two minutes." I heard a car start through the phone before the connection cut off. I took this time to carry my aching and bloodied body to my bedroom to pack my things. I didn't have much to pack, so it didn't take long to finish packing my clothes, toiletries, and valued items.

I was just about to drag my body back out of the bedroom when I had a sudden realisation of something I had forgotten.

I placed my bag next to the doorway and made my way to the desk in Lucas' room, opening the top drawer. I moved some of Lucas' work folders before finding and grabbing my drawing pad. I brought my fingers to the corner of the pages and flicked through them. I smiled softly as I saw sketches from years ago. I had always loved to draw as a child with my mum. In fact, I was inspired by her to draw. It was my passion to draw, and it was one of my only ways to escape the real world. I flipped to my latest sketch when I heard the front door open.

I swiftly grabbed my bag from the floor and hurried out of my room to find Mary panting. I let out a sigh of relief and Mary whipped her head towards me quickly I thought she was going to get whiplash. When her gaze settled on me, I could see the pain in her eyes as she took in my appearance.

"Oh my God, Leah...What did he do to you?" She gasped as she stepped towards me.

"It's a long story. I'll tell you in the car. I've already packed, so we can leave now." I replied, keeping my eyes focused on my bare feet. Mary was silent as she nodded. Just as we walked out of the door, Mary stilled.

"Wait." She said before she shoved my bag into my arms and went back inside the house.

"What are you doing?" I called out to her, regretting that choice instantly by the way my throat ached. I could see Mary as she walked around the lounge room before she ducked into my now old bedroom. She emerged a few moments later, clutching a wad of cash in her right arm.

"He put you through hell. The absolute least he can do is make sure you and I can have nice accommodations where we are going." Mary answered as she joined me outside of the house and began walking to her car.

I don't know what I would do without Mary. The fact that she would go through all of this effort just to make sure I am safe-wait, what did she say?

"What? Where are we going?" I asked curiously and worry clear in my voice. Mary turned to me as she stopped walking, opening the passenger's car door for me. I hobbled in, still waiting for an answer.

"You thought that we were going to stay here after all that man has done to you?" Mary asked as she walked to the driver's side before getting in.

"No way, honey. We are leaving this place, and I know exactly where to." Mary turned to me whilst putting her keys into the car, starting it up.

"Didn't you once tell me you always wanted to go to Italy?"