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The dryness in her throat made it hard to breathe Her bare feet were bloody fros that covered the forest floor Excruciating pain shot up both of her legs None of that et as far away from him as possible before she dropped from sheer exhaustion

Besides, the pain was nothing coht up to her

“You’re onlyit harder on yourself, sweetheart!”

Oh God, Richard How had he found her so fast? Just the sound of his voice was enough to send shivers up and down her spine That slick,now hthtmares for years to come, no doubt

Crystal ran faster, panicked noith the knowledge her husband was closing in on her Her sweaty, long brown hair whipped her face in punishhs bloody and her nightgown a shredded mess Somewhere in the dark recesses of Crystal’s tortured mind, she knew she’d never leave the forest of trees that so completely enveloped her now

“Ah, ht her by the ar her to a stop “You ran from me You’ll pay for that, I’m afraid” Then he raised a fist and punched her in the jaw Her teeth rattled in her head and her vision blurred The warm trickle of blood from a fresh cut at the side of Crystal’s ed Her words fell on deaf ears, though, as Richard hit her again

When had things gone so wrong? She didn’t know One day he’d coe because she hadn’t washed the sheets on their king-sized bed As a result, Crystal had received her first beating It’d been so violent that it had hurt to sit down the next day

These days it took so little to rile his temper After dinner, he’d yanked off his belt and whipped her Crystal wasn’t even sure why this time When it seemed he had finally finished his tirade, Crystal had tried to stand, but he only started on her again, blow after blow until she’d finally passed out froone from the room Crystal had taken the opportunity to run Just run She had no real destination other than away fro point But Richard had been quicker than her, and he’d easily caught up to her

He would e that she s tore at the forefront of her o lih her

Richard wasn’t sure why he didn’t just leave Crystal there in the woods She was useless to hie disappointht he could teach her how to be a proper wife But nothing had worked, and he was just about done bothering with her Still, there was so about Crystal His fascination with her baffled even hiood care of herself Since their wedding, she’d put on weight and had let herself go She didn’t even take pride in their ho her of her household duties But so her As he picked her up and carried her back to the house, Richard knew that their tih tiy on her as it was

Crystal had been like a lost lamb when he’d met her at a New Year’s Eve party two years earlier She was the sweet to his bitter, and he had known he had no business anywhere near her innocence But in one thing, they were the saed to be loved, and in that, they were a kindred spirit So he’d swooped in, and it hadn’t been long before they were married God, if he’d knohat a colossal waste of tiiven her the time of day

Crystal woke to a splitting headache As she opened her eyes and tried to focus, the room tilted and the pain intensified She touched her lip and realized it ollen She’d have bruises on top of bruises this time Richard had outdone himself The roouest roohts It here he liked to discipline her Crystal’s stoht of all the horrors that room held