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Following Asher's example, Elena had found a job during the weekends. The library of Saint Charles had asked for a new employee, so now Elena was filling her weekends by putting books back on their shelves and checking the stock.

It wasn't her dream job, but it was quite fun and filled her days. Her feet hurt at the end of every day, but Asher would spoil her in the evening, so she didn't mind the pain. And maybe one day soon, she would be able to buy her own car.

As she was quietly rolling a cart filled with books to the right aisle, she tried not to push it over. It had happened before, but it had been so embarrassing, she never wanted to repeat it. Everyone had watched her as she broke the silence. Her cheeks had made her head look like a tomato and she wished she could disappear.

So she didn't roll the cart enthusiastically anymore. She rode it slow, but still at a normal pace.

Yes, these boring thoughts played her mind while working. Expect if she was walking past a book cover that looked great. She would pick it up and read what it was about. Then she could spend the rest of the day imaging the real story of the book.

She had arrived at the right aisle and stopped the cart – carefully. Going over the alphabet in her head, she figured out where to place the book she was holding before squeezing it in the row. Then she took the next book, but stiffened before she could lift it up.

A few steps away from her was a man, simply watching her. She recognized him quickly, because he looked a lot like Asher. They had the same light brown hair, the same nose and the same brown eyes. Only Mr. Singleton's held a dangerous glint.

She didn't know why he was here, or what he wanted, but he didn't approach her. He just watched her from a few feet away. She wanted to ask him if he needed anything, but she didn't dare to shout in the silent library.

So she moved the cart away and started walking toward him, but then his look got darker. She stopped in her tracks. She didn't know why, but Mr. Singleton scared her. Her heart started racing and her palms started sweating. Looking behind her, she realized no one could see them. And for some reason, that made her want to scream and run.

But she didn't, because who is afraid of their boyfriend's father? She should walk to him and ask him if he needed anything. Ask him why he was here. But for some reason, she found herself turning away from him and walking out of the aisle. She looked behind her, but Mr. Singleton stayed where he was, motionless like a statue.

Once she rounded the corner, she let out a breath of relief. Someone passed by her, which gave her the feeling of safety back. Whatever Mr. Singleton was doing at the library, she didn't know. But she also didn't feel like finding out.

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The couch Elena was sitting on was a very comfortable one. She didn't just know that because she was sitting on it right now, but because she had spent many hours on it, with Asher's arms around her. She grinned at the thought of the many make out session they had had on this couch.

Suddenly the door opened and Mr. Singleton entered the living room. Elena stiffened and carefully watched the man. He looked at her too, but quickly looked away and walked toward the dresser underneath the tv.

"When are you leaving Asher?" the man asked nonchalantly.

Before she could think it over, Elena responded: "never."

Mr. Singleton chuckled, but it didn't sound like he was really amused. "You have quite the gut to say that."

He opened the dresser, and very showily took out a gun. Elena stiffened at the sight of it. She never liked guns because they could kill. Yet a gun was not uncommon here. People used it to scare the birds off their land.

But the way Mr. Singleton made a big motion with the gun before putting it in the waistband of his pants, made her wonder if he was silently threatening her. Would he go so far as to do that? Or was she simply reading too much in it all?

She didn't know what to think of it when Mr. Singleton left the living room in silence, his gun still showing.

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With Kay and Emily gone home, Elena was the only one to watch the children at the park of 'the youth'. She preferred playing with the older children, because at least they could run around and kick a ball. It was cute when a younger child tried it and fell down, but it did hold back their game of soccer.

The team to which Elena belonged always felt like the lucky team. They thought they would win because they had 'an adult' in their midst. Little did they know that those toddlers might be better at kicking a ball than she was.

She always used the excuse that they play a fair game, so she stood as the goalkeeper. Most balls were easy to catch since they flew very slow. But other kids practiced soccer in their backyard and managed to kick the ball harder.

And like what was happening at that moment, the ball might fly in the wrong direction and disappear in the small forest nearby. Well, it wasn't really a forest. It was more a group of trees, because much more didn't grow in a dry region as around Bear Lake.

"No!" everybody sighed as they threw their hands up in frustration. And then started the discussion of who would fetch the ball.

"You touched it last."

"But it's for your team."

"I meant to kick it toward you."

So Elena sighed. "I will get it."

She walked into the 'forest' and easily found the ball. She bent down to pick it up, but before she could straighten again, she was kicked against the tree. The ball fell out of her hands and bounced away.

But Elena didn't watch the ball. She watched the man in front of her. His brown eyes were dark and angry. Elena gasped when Mr. Singleton's face was so close to hers, she could feel his breath on her skin.

While one of his hands pushed her against the tree, his other took her jaws and squeezed tightly.

"I told you to stay away from my son," Mr. Singleton spoke angrily through his teeth. "But you refused to oblige. So now I refuse to let social rules dictate my behavior."

Elena whimpered when Mr. Singleton's hand tightened around her jaw. She tried to move her head, but he didn't let go. His angry eyes remained on her.

"I already told you, I will not leave Asher," Elena said in rage. She didn't know where she got the courage from, but she immediately regretted saying the words.

She heard the sound of skin slapping on skin before she felt the burn in her cheek.

"You are weak, Miss Hunter," Mr. Singleton spat out. "Very weak. And I can – and will – prove to you that I am stronger. Whether you tell my son or not is up to you, but know that it will be your unlikely word against mine. And what son wouldn't believe his own father?"

His finger tightened even more around her jaw. Tears jumped in her eyes. Not just because of the pain, but also because of the truth in Mr. Singleton's words. If she ever told Asher of this – how his father is like a demon to her – he would never believe her. And if he did, Elena would only make him hate his father. But she knew how much he adored his family. She could never break him like that.

"Hey!" a voice suddenly shouted.

Before Elena knew it, Mr. Singleton had let go of her and was running away through the forest, unseen by everyone.

Footsteps came closer and quickly Elena could see Julie running toward her. Elena tried not to cry at the sight of safety, but the struggle must be visible on her face. Julie quickened her step, then wrapped her arm around Elena.

"Are you okay?" her friend asked.

Elena nodded, knowing that speaking would break her voice and make her cry. She didn't know where Julie came from, nor what she had seen. But the less Julie knew, the better. No one should know of this. Elena felt weak enough already, she didn't need someone to remind her of it by trying to protect her all the time.

"Are you sure?" Julie asked.

The question made tears appear in her eyes. She shook her head and let the tears stream. With her hands and legs shaking, she was glad to be holding on tight to Julie so that she didn't fall on the ground. She was already in enough pain.

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Mr. Singleton was really creeping her out now. The man would watch her from across the street and visit her at the library. Though 'visit' was not the right word. He just stared at her.

She didn't know why he did it or how he could make her so frightened with only his eyes, but she started hating the man. Just hearing his name gave her shivers. She thought she would get used to his stares and would manage to ignore them, but she never could.

When he showed up at the library, she wanted to scream for help. But then she thought back of that day in the forest, where he had run off before Julie had seen him. This maze of a library would have even more hiding places.

But one day she screamed. One day he didn't just stare at her. He walked up to her and pushed her against the wall. He threatened her with words she never wanted to hear again. He touched her in places she never wanted to be touched again.

And she screamed.

Like she thought, Mr. Singleton ran away before anyone could see her. He took a book off the shelf and nonchalantly looked at the commotion Elena made as if he was an innocent bystander.

Two minutes later she walked out of the library with the promise to never come back.