//TW: not detailed or graphic but if you have any kind of issue with the topic of assault in any form please skip this chapter!//

Three weeks had passed since Liam and I had slept together, and three weeks since I received the note and record from Damon. Liam had been in touch, trying to see me again, but I had been otherwise engaged.

Ryan had moved Stacey into the house, the mother-to-be of his child. The two of us had a long conversation about it and in the end, we both came to the conclusion that it would be best for her to live with Ryan, as the pair were going to try and make it work.

It wasn't in mine nor Ryan's plans for me to move out of the house, and he desperately tried to convince me that it would be fine for me to carry on living in the home, but I decided that it was time for a change. I didn't want to get in the way of Ryan and Stacey's relationship, and truthfully, it was time for the both of us to live apart. We'd been living together for the entire 23 years of my life and it was a strange thought to imagine waking up and not hearing him swear loudly as he cracked an egg making breakfast, or fall up the stairs when he came in from a night out drunk, but it had run it's course, and Ryan being told he was becoming a father was the world's way of telling us that.

In just over two weeks, Ryan had found me a little apartment close to the offices that Manchester United housed their staff, which was where I was also starting my new job. It seemed as though everything was falling into place and a new chapter was starting in my life.

Though nothing was ever that simple for me.

I'd been living in my new apartment for a week when the first day of my new job rolled around. As much as I despised my previous job, it was strange to not be heading there on that Monday morning, not rushing for the tram stop but instead, walking across the quays to the new office block.

I thought I'd be a lot more nervous and yet, I was oddly calm. I reached the office 20 minutes before I was due to start work, walking into the foyer and greeting the receptionist with a smile who directed me to the main office.

"Britney, so great to see you again, we're all looking forward to working with you."

I shook the hand of Henry, the gentleman who'd conducted my interview and was now my new boss. He was a tall, lanky man with blonde hair and a 5 o'clock shadow, I guessed in his early thirties.

He took me round the office and introduced me to everybody before showing me my desk and giving me all the details for my computer.

The day seemed to fly by as I started to get to grips with my new job. Henry was incredibly tolerant which made learning things much easier when he corrected my mistakes in a friendly manner rather than an undermining one.

I picked things up rather quickly, seemingly fitting in straight away. This new role in marketing was far more enjoyable than my previous job, and I had Ryan to thank for getting me a foot in the door here.

"Britney, isn't it?"

I looked up from my desk as I shut down my computer, packing my things into my bag as the clock stuck 5.

"Yeah, that's me." I said with a smile.

"I don't think we've met," a young man stood before me, no older than 25. He was around 5'10 with dark blonde hair and brown eyes, dressed in a suit that looked like it had seen better days, "I'm Luke."

We shook hands as I pulled on my coat.

"Listen, a few of us go to the pub on a Monday, just to make the week a bit more bearable. Only for a couple, you know how it is. Fancy it?"

Although I was exhausted,  I didn't want my new co-workers to think I was a bore.

"Sure, that'd be nice."

I followed Luke out of the office and the two of us made small talk. Turned out he was a United fan, as were a lot of the office, and my brother was of course the initial talking point when I sat down in the pub on a table with 5 other men.

I was yet to learn everyone's names and I was struggling to remember who was who and who worked in what department, but aside from that, I began enjoying my evening.

Despite being slightly skeptical about there being no other girls out with us, it turned out that it wasn't necessarily a bad thing because every time it got to my round, my willingness to pay was consistently declined by the gentlemen.

The night drew in and I began to feel the effects of the several Jameson's I'd drank. Thanking the boys for their hospitality, I decided to call it a night and headed out of the pub.

I didn't live far away now after moving, and the Quays were usually more alive on a weekend as there were a host of bars and restaurants lining the waterfront.

I stuffed my hands into the pockets of my coat, walking down the back of the pub through an alleyway as a shortcut.

"Excuse me miss, you got a light?"

My head snapped up from the ground to meet a man stood leaning against the wall, a cigarette between his fingers. He was drunk, swaying slightly with one foot against the bricks behind him.

"I'm sorry I don't." I said, smiling shyly and continuing walking.

"What you running off for?" He said, grabbing my arm hastily.

I gulped, looking back at him as his fingers dug deeper into my skin, starting to hurt me.

"Please get off me." I said, trying to pull free.

The man just laughed, the two of us enclosed in darkness surrounded by the tall buildings around us. The only noise was the water from the quays and the muffled chatter from inside the pub, as well as the wind cutting through the edges of the architecture.

"Why you in such a rush darling? You got somewhere to be?"

He grinned, his hand still gripping me tightly. My heart began to race and I felt myself starting to breath heavily and my stomach turn with sickness and fear.

"Please, I need to get home."

My words came out in barely a whisper, but I felt the breath get knocked out of my chest when he twisted my arm around my back, pulling me against him as his other hand started to wander up and down my body.

I felt frozen, as if my mind had detached from my body and I was just watching myself, powerless to do anything. Squeezing my eyes shut, I felt myself go numb as he continued to touch me, the only thing I felt was my tears trickling down my cheeks.

"Dean! Get back in here!"

I was knocked off my feet suddenly as his hands released me, pushing me forward as I felt my mind return back to me, being able to feel the ground scrape my hands.

The man just laughed, spitting on the ground beside me before walking back into the pub through a back door, leaving me alone.

I sat on the ground for a moment, trying to convince myself that what just happened, didn't really happen at all. Though the rip in my blouse and the zip of my jeans being undone was all too much proof for me to be able to believe myself.

Hauling myself to my feet, I sobbed quietly and began to run the short distance to my flat, the feeling of someone's presence behind me making my stomach twist and turn until I saw the glow of my building, and my heart rate began to settle again.

Once I'd made it back to my flat, I locked the doors and closed all the windows, shutting the blinds and curling up in a ball on the sofa.

For the first time in my life, I was truly alone.

I had nobody, not even my brother to help me as I sat and cried alone. I felt degraded and weak, like I was worthless and nothing more than a piece of meat, let alone a human being.

Shaking, I pulled out my phone, my thumbs managing to press the keys before I held it to my ear.

"Liam-"

"Hello?"

My stomach dropped when I heard a woman's voice on the other end of the line.

"Uh- I-"

"Liam's busy right now, try again later."

Whoever was on the other end of the phone laughed before cutting the call dead, forcing me to choke out a loud sob, my eyes suddenly streaming with water as I hugged my knees to my chest.

I sniffed, desperately trying to get myself to stop crying for just a second so I could see my phone enough to try and get help one more time.

"Please pick up, please." I whispered, the phone against my ear.

My heart was thumping against my ribcage so loud I could hear it, my lip quivering and my breath shaky as I tried to steady my body.

"Hello?"

"Damon?" I said quietly, suddenly feeling the lump in my throat rise again as I heard his voice.

"Britney, are you okay?"

I coughed, breathing heavily down the phone as I tried to wipe my tears away with my sleeve, only for more to fall.

"No." Was all I managed to get out before breaking down into a deep sob, my head starting to pound as I cried and cried, hearing Damon frantically try to get me to tell him what was wrong.

"Brit you're scaring me, please tell me what's happened?"

"Please," I choked through the tears, "Please can you come."

I heard him sigh loudly and the overwhelming feeling of being alone suddenly washed over me again, the fear and anxiety settling in for the second time, only this time worse.

"Brit I'm in London, I'm hours away I-"

"Damon please," I begged, "I need you."

I heard nothing for a few moments and I started to get worried, all I could hear was the air entering and leaving my lungs far too quickly.

The sound of a door slamming through the phone made me jump out of my skin, clutching the phone to my ear with one hand and biting the skin around my nails on my other.

"Sit tight," I heard Damon say, "I'll be there as soon as I can."