The moment you assume that you have everything you can ever ask for, but in reality you are left with nothing but a void. The moment you see yourself totally engulfed in darkness but suddenly you witness a small ray of white light, a ray of hope. The moment you see a large ball of fire, racing towards you, ought to burn you down. You pull up your hands in defense, and the ball freezes by your touch. This is the exact moment you realize, nothing is the same, anymore. Whether for the good or for the bad. Things are changed. You are changed.

" Don't give up........... We are almost there. Keep breathing............Please, don't give up."

" What's her name?"

" I don't know."

" Where did you find her?"

" It doesn't MATTER..!!"

"Okay! Calm down.....We'll try our best!"

Jacob's hands slipped off the stretcher as the door of the operation theatre closed in front of him, leaving him unsettled and alone, standing in the long hall way.

He kept waiting by the door for an hour, pacing through the hall and taking a seat occasionally only to stand up and start pacing again. Nothing was able to take away that dreadful view he witnessed on the street side, while he was on duty. It was true, nothing ever left him so overwhelmed before this. After a few hours, as he slumped over the chair, resting his head over his crossed hands, the door of the operation theatre clicked open. 

"Mr. Thompson?" The doctor called out.

Jacob looked towards the source of the voice and shot up from his chair. "That would be me." He replied in a hasty tone.

The doctor walked up to Jacob, stared at him and let out a sharp exhale, "Who is she to you?"

Jacob studied through his face for a while and replied in a weary tone, "No one."

"You never looked so worn out, Mr. Thompson."

"It....I felt bad for her."

The doctor peeled down his eyes and nodded to himself, registering his words.

"Well, for now we have given her the necessary medications. But, this is serious." The doctor started in a concerned tone. "She is suffering from severe malnutrition. And she has bruises all over her." Completing his sentence he looked up at Jacob.

Jacob' s eyes widened at the utter of his words. Without replying to his words he swallowed in a gulp, "It means....."

"There are signs of abuse and I...... I fear, this is not just a few days affair." He continued while Jacob silently kept taking in his input," Repeated, prolonged torment."

Jacob averted his gaze from the doctor, and pulled in his lower lip in an attempt to control his accelerated breaths.

Doctor sighed deeply and patted his shoulder before walking out of the place.

Jacob took baby steps towards the big black door of the operation theatre and peeped in through the small glass opening.  His eyes fell on the girl, lying peacefully over the hospital bed, attached to various equipments. But, not even the sedative could iron out the crease of concern off her forehead. He thought to himself, "Tell me girl, are you one of them?"

The moment you spent your seconds, counting your last breath, but witness a new, wider path carved for you, to walk upon. A new life, on the either side, in its full glory, eager to wrap you into a warm embrace. You are changed.

An year ago;

Savannah, USA

I took a last look at my reflection on the mirror and a grin curved over my lips. Corvett has gifted me this dress. A light pink fabric, so soft that my hands seemed be gliding over it with ease. This man definitely has a nice choice. He knows how to make me happy. Well, I believe no one made me feel so alive as he does.

Giving my hair a last brush, I walked out of the dressing room and made my way towards my room where he was waiting for me. I never knew, when we got this close. When we became that couple that people dreamt of and the girls in my school envied. However he was no less of a man, any girl would ask for. Hot and at the same time, caring and considerate.

As, I walked closer to my room, his voice caught my ears. His words weren't clear but the intensity of his voice explained that he might be annoyed. He had his part of anger but he never poured it over me. He said that sometimes his work gets on his nerves. You can't expect someone to stay calm at such a point, can you?

I knew. As soon as he would see me dressed up in his choice of dress, he would melt away in no time.

I reached the threshold of my room. He was facing the wall on the either side. The evening sunrays, invading into the room through the curtains and crashing into his platinum blonde hair, making it shine in an even brighter shade of grey.

" Do whatever you want to, but stop poking your nose into my business." hissing out his last line, he disconnected the call.

I called out his name and he turned.

As soon as his eyes fell on me, he did a quick scan over me and the shape of his expression changed within a fraction of a second. The rage that was reflecting off  his eyes vanished and a yearning took over along with a smirk that quirked up his lips. He stuffed his phone inside his pocket, not breaking the eye contact and started striding closer to me.

My cheeks were heated up and my excitement was rising. He stood close to me and slowly brushed off a loose strand of hair from my bare collar bones. The tip of his warm finger brushing through the exposed parts of my skin left me shuddering in my own stand. The effortless effect the man had over me.

He let his finger tips trail through my shoulder blades down to my arms, leaving goosebumps everywhere his fingers grazed.

"You are beautiful." He marveled in a huskier tone and I failed to stop the excited smile that curved over my lips.

He walked further closer to me and let his lips crash over mine. After a brief kiss, he connected his forehead to mine, "Shall we?"

"Where are we going?"

Parting from me, he cupped both my cheeks "There's a surprise waiting for you, honey. I bet you will never forget."

I could do nothing but nod. A boyish grin quirked up his lips at the expression of my assent. He tangled his fingers into mine and pulled me with himself.

Every time, I walked with him, there is nothing I ever bothered. When I am with him, I am safe. As, we reached the leaving door and made our way towards the door, mom stopped us.

"WAIT!!"

We turned around to see her fuming with rage. For some reason she never liked him. We never fought before. But the moment Corvett came into my life, she turned hostile and the distance between us started to grow more and more. She had always been the biggest obstacle between me and Corvett and she was being the same now.

She kept a glare piercing through Corvett. I glanced at Corvett to see him trepidated. Even for the repeated insults and calling out by my mother, he never revolted. Nor did he ever disrespect my mother. Rather he always explained it to me, that however she was she was still my mother and that was enough a reason for her to be respected. How could mom not see this?

I decided to break the awkwardness, "Mom, I will be back before you even know it."

"That won't be required." she replied, not breaking her raged stare from Corvett, "You are not going anywhere. Go to your room.

"What? No!"

"Yes!"

"No, I can't and I won't."

"He is not a good man, Maddie. He is deluding you into his trance."

"You are not doing it again. Mom."

Before, I could speak further, Corvett pressed my palm, gesturing me to stop and then he spoke, "Ms. Parc, what can I do to make you believe my loyalty? I never even dreamed of hurting your daughter. I will never do that, ever."

Mom's jaw clenched at his response, "I don't need your lying ass to prove anything to me. I am telling you like a gentle human being, get out of my house. Leave my daughter and never ever lurk anywhere near this neighbourhood.

What? I failed to believe what she was saying at that point. My anger was touching the sky. She has crossed her limit, "He is not going anywhere!" I snapped out in a higher pitch.

Corvett turned towards me and held me by my shoulder, "Shh! You can't speak like that to your mother. She is just concerned about you.

Mom flinched her face and shook her head in disbelief before shifting her gaze towards me,

"Trust me, love!" her tone softened, "You are mistaken. He is just pretending to be someone. Madeline, I... I did my part of study about him.

Corvett's hands slipped off my shoulder. I knew. At that point, not even he could believe what he was hearing. She was insulting him yet again. Pushing him to the egde, where he would break and that aggravated my rage, "Care to explain?"

"Ms. Parc. " Corvett cut in, "You are wrong. Please, don't."

"Shut up!" She yelled,  "Don't ever try to puddle me. You have done enough." She shifted her gaze towards me and continued in a softer tone, "Honey, listen to me carefully. He is just having plans for you. He is..."

Bang!

In a split second, a deafening sound numbed my ears, and mom's face got covered with splatters of blood. My heart fell to my stomach. She was shot. A nauseous effect started to take over me. I gathered my strength and looked up at Corvett. He had the gun with the smoking muzzle. I was numb. Nothing made sense. My eyes were burning with the tears that was threatening to burst out.

"Let's go." Corvett broke through the silence in relaxed tone, stuffing his gun back into his belt.

"No!......W...What did you do?"

Corvett stopped and looked up at me. At the moment, failed to find the warmth that was in his eyes, a few seconds ago. He kept studying through me and within the split of a second, his lips curved up into a warm smile, "She was interfering, love."

"You killed my mom!" My voice came out choked and quivering. A bizarre blend of anger and fear was steering inside me. He read it. He slowly brushed the top of my palm, he was holding till now and slowly his grip tightened.

"I did." he replied in the most calm voice. Like nothing ever happened.

Everything started to make sense. Mom was right. I was stupid enough to put him before my mother and she paid the cost of it. A guilt filled my guts. I failed to recognize the devil that was lurking around me the whole time.

"Let's go!" he added and my breath hitched.  My heart started to drum against my ribcage at a painful rate. The more I was trying to get my hand out of his grip, the more he tightened his grip.

"I am not coming with you! You...." I failed to stop the tears at this point, "You are a psychopath!"

My fear was his salvation. As he read through my fear, his lips curled up into a devilish grin, "My sweet cake!" he started in a honeyed tone, which could have been sweet, but it disgusted me now, "I worked so hard for the surprise I prepared for you. I can't cancel that. Not now."

My wails along with the terror choked my words into my throat. What if he killed me, if I spoke. Failing to let out any word, I shook my head frantically, pleading him to spare me.

The smile in his face vanished. He closed the distance between us to an extend that I could feel his warm breaths, brushing through my skin, filling me in with more fear. "There is no place for denial now." The little softness in his voice left. Leaving me with a demon.

His eyes were filled with a rage, unknown to me. A cold, merciless rage. He grabbed my hand tighter than he ever did. It hurt me bad. But, that was his intention. Inspite of my cries and utmost reluctance, he pulled me, out of my house.

I cried for help, wailed with all the strength I had in my voice. He closed the door behind him and muffled my mouth, seizing the last string of my voice, before shoving me inside the car.

He said, he had a surprise for me, that I would never forget. He meant it.

I saw a devil within the eyes, I searched for love. And, that the one person, whom I thought would be my warmth, was the cause of my enormous pain. I was helpless in saving the only person I had in my life. It broke me, as I realized, I will be seeing my mother for the last time. It broke me, that maybe I won't be back here anymore, and maybe, my life wont be same anymore. Maybe, I won't be breathing anymore.

An year it was.

My world was concised to a dark caged hole. I was unaware when the sun rose. I was unaware, when the stars showed. My tears never dried. My cries never heard. My bruises never healed, yet the sufferings never ended.

When the wind brushed through my face, I smiled as I thought it to be a calm breeze. Little did I know it was an impending storm, which dragged me out and dropped me into an unknown world, powerless, wounded, helpless.

I would not have realized the beast in me, until I saw myself ........bleed.