His addiction

The rain poured heavily against the street as Xalia hurried from work to home, the dress she wore pulled tightly against her frame. Keeping her head down, avoiding eye contact with anyone. A habit she learnt some years ago. That was the only way she could survive. As she made way for shelter,she collided with someone. Strong but gentle hands held her around her shoulders before she could fall. “ Easy there”. The husky voice sent an unfamiliar chill down her spine. I looked up to see who it was. The man in front of me was tall, dressed in black from head to toe, his sharp jawline could pierce through the heart. His eyes said a lot which made him look intimidating, there was something strangely familiar about him. “I'm sorry to have bumped into you like that”, I murmured . For some split seconds,he just stared down at me as though he knew who I was. “Just be careful next time”. I nodded before he continued his journey. Neither of them realized that fate wanted to put them together again… Over the weeks, they kept crossing paths Being at the cafe. The nearest eatery. Near his office. The bookstore and anywhere at all. Even walking home from work. Meanwhile Xalia struggled with her own problems everyday. The more Adrian kept getting closer, the more terrified she got. And that wasn't because she was scared of him. The fear of someone getting hurt because of her scared her the most. At home, she prepared herself for bed after completing the necessary and then images of her past trauma swept in. “Why do you always have to treat me in this manner?” “Listen to me Xalia, you're not important to me anymore, you're just a useless girl with no brain “. His words struck me like lightning, he yanked my hair making me look up at him only to get slapped in the face by him”. Tears streamed down my cheeks making it hard for me to see, getting out of bed, I drank in a full glass of water and luckily for me it worked. I was able to calm my nerves down. I sigh as I tuck myself in bed leaving the rest for the night. Sleep didn't want to take over, it felt as if I was being suffocated to my own death, sweat was now building on my forehead, I wanted to scream for help but I couldn't find my voice. I was fighting my own nightmare, fighting the urge to get drawn again. I froze in place, I couldn't move my body. I wanted to escape. “Dad,please, you can't do this to me, you can't leave me in here”. I shouted hoping he would see me as the loving daughter he once loved. The dark room which reeked of decayed bodies still lingered till date. How he starved me mostly. The beatings, the tools he used on me were still vivid. He left marks on my body. I couldn't handle it anymore. The tears and pain coming from my chest was unbearable, I could not do anything other than feeling hurt all over again and it was coming back. The sound from my phone brought me back, I checked my surroundings hoping I was alone and he wasn't back and I was glad. It was only me in my own little world.