Lily trudged home, feeling disgusted with herself. She had started off with good intentions, so why couldn’t she follow through with herself? Her sneakers dragged on the pavement of her driveway as she kicked pebbles out of her way.

The light was on in the kitchen. That’s weird, she thought as she approached the door. Mom shouldn’t be home for a few hours! Apprehensively, she turned the knob, feeling stupid for being afraid to walk into her own home.

But what should be safe isn’t always. “What are you doing here?” She cried as she saw him perched on the sofa.

“Where have you been?” He growled, grabbing her by the wrists.

“At—nowhere! Nowhere!”

She began to tremble. He held her wrists harder, in a vice-like grip. “Stop! You’re hurting me!” She squeaked out.

“Yeah? Well, I needed you! And you just…went ‘nowhere’!”

“Do I need your permission to live?”

With an uncanny force, he hit her across the face. She drew in her breath, touching her cheek and hating herself.

Why did this keep happening?