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Chapter 1
Cindy
I’ve always dreamt of living near the beach, and that's why I chose Seaside to make a new life. The sunsets and sunrises, sand between my toes, and the waves crashing against the rocks—it was serene and made everything seem okay. Even if it was far from okay. I had another nightmare last night, but this one was different. It felt so real, I almost believed it was. It had me up out of bed, checking all the locks on my doors and windows.
I hated that Stefan still had control over me. I hated that I let him. It wasn't supposed to be this way. We were the perfect couple until he shattered it with his anger and abuse. I still didn’t know what went wrong, but I knew he could never find me. If he did, that would be the end. He'd make sure of it. What was the last straw that broke the camel's back? Well, let me tell you, and you can judge for yourself.
"Cynthia! Get your lazy ass in the kitchen. Now, bitch!"
Fuck my life. What the hell did I do now? The last six months had been nothing short of hell. Stefan lost his six-figure job because he couldn't keep his hands to himself. Six women came forward with sexual harassment charges against him. He said they're all lying bitches who just wanted to ride his dick. They were jealous they couldn't have it. Blah, blah, blah.
He's been unemployed and drinking every day since. Why didn't I leave him? Good question. I wanted to believe him because I loved him. Now? Hell no. He's done nothing but degrade me, assault me, and anything else he deems fit to do to me. Three months ago the physical abuse and threats started, and they haven't stopped. He's alienated me from everyone I love, and all I have left is him. Little did he know I've been hiding money and clothes in my locker at work. I've had enough, and I was finishing this, once and for all. I wouldn’t let him take what little self-worth I had left.
"What's wrong, Stefan?"
I should've known better than to ask such a stupid question, and I was right. The first punch to my face came out of nowhere. I didn’t even remember him being close enough for him to attack me. It didn't stop there. Punch after punch until I couldn't stand on my own two feet anymore. Did that stop him? Nope. That's when he kicked me so hard in my side, I puked up blood, which pissed him off even more.
"You don't ever listen, Cynthia! Why do you make me do this to you? You have one fucking job! Listen and do as I say, and I won't have to punish you for disobedience."
Now he was referring to me like I was his damn puppy? Hell no. He didn't even tell me what I’d done wrong. If I didn’t leave now, the next time, he might kill me. My body was screaming in pain, and I was trying my best to not let it out. Everything hurt, and I was pretty sure he’d broken a rib or two. I laid there silently, and it worked. He stopped his attack, and I thanked whoever was watching over me.
"Clean yourself up. Nobody likes a sloppy whore. I'm going out, so don't wait up."
Trust me, I won't be waiting on you. But when you come home, I won't be here. Goodbye, Stefan.
It's been almost three years since I left him, and I still look over my shoulder daily. I was pretty much a gypsy, roaming from town to town until I got to Seaside, Oregon. So, here I was living a quiet life at the beach, and I’d even opened up a little candy shop. The girl who owned the building, Mara, was as sweet as they came, along with her best friend, Brenna. I'd also made a friend in the girl next door to my shop, Dana, who owned a pastry shop. She's the best. None of them knew the gruesome details of my relationship with Stefan, and that's how I needed it to be. They knew I had a bad past, but I'd left it at that. One day I'd tell them the truth, but that day was not today. Knowing that Stefan was still out there, and could find me, I'd never put anyone else in danger.
The candy shop, which I named Sweet Confections, has been my own kind of therapy. I'd always loved sweets of all kinds, so when it fell into my lap, I went for it. I worked out a killer deal with Mara, and that's all she wrote. I spend most of my time there and make a lot of the candy myself. Some of it I order from other countries. I liked to have a wide variety of items to choose from, and people seemed to really like it, which made me happy.
It was almost Valentine's Day, and I'd been up to my eyeballs in orders. As you might assume by now, I was not a fan of all things hearts and romance. Made me quite queasy, if I was being honest. I knew it was me and my jaded heart, but damn. It was Sunday morning, and with nothing else planned for the day, I decided to head to the shop. I was closed on Sundays, so it was a perfect time to get some last minute orders done. As I reached the front door, there was a sealed envelope taped to the front with my real name on it. No one here knew me by Cynthia, so needless to say, I was freaking the fuck out! I grabbed it, while looking around, and quickly entered the shop, locking the door behind me.
Opening up the envelope, my heart dropped. I literally stared at the floor, with the image of my bloody, battered heart at my feet. I knew there was a reason for me being extra paranoid lately. How the hell did he find me? I'd been so careful. Oregon was halfway across the country from him. This couldn’t be happening. I'd think it was a sick joke, but I knew that writing was his. There was also an article clipping from a travel magazine of me and Dana's shops. It was featured in "Food Shops you should check out while in Beach Towns." How the hell did I not know we were in a fucking magazine?
Cynthia,
Hello, my sweet baby. My, my, you've been a busy girl. Now I see why you've been gone so long. I've waited years for you to come home, and now I'm tired of waiting. I'll see you soon, my love.
Yours forever,
Stefan
I was numb. I felt defeated. I should've stayed hidden better. What made me think opening a public shop in a busy beach town would be a good idea? I’d slipped up. I’d taken my freedom for granted, and now it could all be taken away from me. Just like that. One little note and I was sentencing myself to death. Was I overreacting? Possibly. One thing I did know: Stefan was unstable—he always had been—and unstable people did stupid things in dark moments.
I needed to get home and figure out what this all meant? Should I run? Should I stay and fight for the new life I'd built here? Hell, I didn’t know, but I knew I wouldn’t get anything figured out just standing here like a scared little girl. Wasn’t that what I was though? I’d run from my monster, and now he'd found me. How did I fight back against what seemed to be a shadow?
It was still light outside when I locked up the store, which eased my frazzled nerves a little. The walk home wasn’t far, as I only lived a few blocks away, but I was still walking like I was in a damn marathon. I felt someone behind me, so I balled my hand into a tight fist. Spinning around, I punched my assailant right in the face. Only problem was, it wasn't my enemy; it was Dana.
"Oh my god, Dana! I'm so sorry! I didn't know it was you. You can't creep up on people like that. Are you okay? Fuck. Fuck. Fuck."
Damn. I got her good. She was holding her nose, and I could see the blood dripping from her fingertips. We decided to go back to her shop where she had a first aid kit. I felt terrible, and she just kept telling me she was fine. If I was her, I'd have been yelling profanities.
"I'm fine, Cindy, really. Stop worrying so much. It was an accident, and I'm the one that should be sorry. I really didn't mean to scare you."
I started crying. Like full-on ugly sobbing with snot and all. I didn’t deserve a friend like her, but I was greedy. I should have been pushing her far away from the dumpster fire of my past. I could see the sorrow in her eyes, and it made me want to punch a wall. Or Stefan. He was the reason all this was happening. Dana knew it, I knew she did.
"I got a note today. It was on my shop's front door. It could mean nothing, or it could mean he's here. I don't want you in the middle, but I don't want to lie to you anymore either."
Dana hugged me with tears in her eyes. This time I didn’t see pity; I saw a friend. A friend that I really needed right now. Damn, I loved this girl so much. She read the note and article, then looked at me with the most serious face I'd ever seen on her.
