It hadn't always been this way. When she first met Hector in college, he was a different man. Sure, he had always been the "bad boy" type, but that's what attracted her to him the most. That sexy devilish grin, his dark chocolate eyes when he smiled, and that gorgeous golden skin... one smile was all it took for her to feel the flush of heat between her legs and the flutter of her breathing. He smelled of danger and it drew her to him like a moth to a flame.
It wasn't until he got expelled from school that everything changed. Hector was forced to move off campus and Theresa couldn't stand the thought of not being by his side. A month later, they were living together in a run down apartment on the south side of town. Both out of school and neither of them working, their love was so new that nothing else mattered. They stayed holed up in their 2nd floor studio apartment for weeks. Laughing, cuddling, making love, and only eating when they felt it absolutely necessary. No job meant no money, and no money meant no food. They were truly living on what they thought was love.
But that was then, and this is now. Still stuck in their south side apartment, Hector an alcoholic, and Theresa a slave to his every whim. She had thought about leaving many times. Getting out of their tiny apartment with the peeling paint on the walls and bars on the windows. Starting a new life where she could be free to do what makes her happy. But that was just a dream. How could she ever leave Hector and make it on her own? Her salary at the veterinary clinic wasn't enough to support herself. Cleaning cages and feeding animals just doesn't pay enough. No, she was stuck here for the long haul. Trapped like a rat in a scientific laboratory. It was better just to do as Hector said and try to make her days a little easier. Besides, he had told her before that if she ever left him, he would hunt her down and kill her. The scariest part was that she believed he actually might do just that.
The sound of glass shattering against the wall sent shivers up her spine and turned her stomach. "Oh God, please not my face, please not my face" she repeated to herself as she heard his heavy footsteps coming toward the kitchen. Theresa frantically tried to calm herself and keep her focus on the dishes she was washing in the sink. If she broke one now, she would make everything worse than it already was. Pain shot up her back like lightning, doubling her over while so fast that she didn't have time to reach for the counter to prevent from falling. Her kidney felt like it was on fire and the tears streamed down her face in an instant. "Please not my face, please not my face." He kicked her in the stomach with such force that now she was gasping for breath between the sobs.
It wasn't until he got expelled from school that everything changed. Hector was forced to move off campus and Theresa couldn't stand the thought of not being by his side. A month later, they were living together in a run down apartment on the south side of town. Both out of school and neither of them working, their love was so new that nothing else mattered. They stayed holed up in their 2nd floor studio apartment for weeks. Laughing, cuddling, making love, and only eating when they felt it absolutely necessary. No job meant no money, and no money meant no food. They were truly living on what they thought was love.
But that was then, and this is now. Still stuck in their south side apartment, Hector an alcoholic, and Theresa a slave to his every whim. She had thought about leaving many times. Getting out of their tiny apartment with the peeling paint on the walls and bars on the windows. Starting a new life where she could be free to do what makes her happy. But that was just a dream. How could she ever leave Hector and make it on her own? Her salary at the veterinary clinic wasn't enough to support herself. Cleaning cages and feeding animals just doesn't pay enough. No, she was stuck here for the long haul. Trapped like a rat in a scientific laboratory. It was better just to do as Hector said and try to make her days a little easier. Besides, he had told her before that if she ever left him, he would hunt her down and kill her. The scariest part was that she believed he actually might do just that.
The sound of glass shattering against the wall sent shivers up her spine and turned her stomach. "Oh God, please not my face, please not my face" she repeated to herself as she heard his heavy footsteps coming toward the kitchen. Theresa frantically tried to calm herself and keep her focus on the dishes she was washing in the sink. If she broke one now, she would make everything worse than it already was. Pain shot up her back like lightning, doubling her over while so fast that she didn't have time to reach for the counter to prevent from falling. Her kidney felt like it was on fire and the tears streamed down her face in an instant. "Please not my face, please not my face." He kicked her in the stomach with such force that now she was gasping for breath between the sobs.
