Chapter one
Alina sat peacefully, watching the waves softly lap against the shore. The sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm golden glow in the sky. The vivid hues shimmered, mirroring an amazing spectacle in the crystal-clear sea. Its golden rays reached out, engulfing her in one last embrace before falling into darkness. The cool night air soothed both her aching body and her nerves as she prepared for home.
As Alina reached home, she gently opened the door and stepped in; suddenly a strong force struck her in the stomach, causing her body to crash into the ground. She bit her tongue and held her breath, refusing to cry out.
"Where the fuck have you been?" She recognized the voice as the one she despised.
Alina rose to her feet, her eyes burning and her throat constricted, preventing her from speaking. She was trying to catch her breath after the impact of being kicked in the stomach.
"I was at the pharmacy," she stammered out.
Alina had not expected anyone to be at home if she had known she would never have gone out; Brad and her mother were meant to be on a business trip, and she now knew she would face the consequences.
She watched the man intently, anticipating what he would do next. To her relief, he grabbed his jacket and headed to the door.
"We'll be back in a few hours, stay put," he spat before departing.
When Alina realized he had left, she walked to the kitchen, poured a glass of water, and carefully made her way to her room. The room was dark, with only a faint glimmer of the moon visible through the curtains.
Alina walked to the bathroom and decided to take a bath to relieve some of her discomfort. As she bent down to open the faucet, she snarled in pain, her ribs throbbing, and she gasped for air.
She approached the full-length mirror while waiting for the bath to fill. She slowly raised her enormous sweatshirt to look at her body in the mirror; purple, red, and blue marks of various shapes and sizes covered her flesh. She observed herself; even though they had never touched her face, it had a terrible appearance; her once brilliant blue eyes appeared hollow and had dark circles around the outer, and her cheeks were sunken and pallid. Her Ash brown hair, with sunkissed blonde highlights, was disheveled. She exhaled quietly; she felt imprisoned, and all she could do was surrender.
She returned to the bath and closed the faucet. She got her bottle of pain pills, poured them all into her hand, and swallowed them down with the water. After completing, she softly tapped the glass on the sink, took a piece, and got into the bath while still dressed.
Alina dragged the broken glass across both wrists before falling back, happy. She could feel her body lightening and grinned as she fell into darkness.
Alina's eyelids softly opened, and she beheld rays of light in an all-white area. "Heaven," she said, feeling liberated.
Hearing the sound of beeping, she looked around and saw the heart monitor; her heart fell, her eyes welled up with tears, and her throat clenched.
Alina had abruptly recognized she was in a hospital room, and disappointment filled her mind.
Alina's heart rate increased as she heard soft snoring, indicating she was not alone.
