Chapter 5 - The Fortress
I brought Sarah to my apartment on the fourth floor of a secure building. I double-locked the deadbolts, activated the security system, and pulled the blackout curtains closed.
Sarah looked like a ghost haunting her own life. She sat on my velvet sofa, staring blankly at the wall, flinching every time the ice maker in the fridge dropped a cube.
"He's out," she whispered, her voice hollow.
"He's out, but he's not here," I said, wrapping a thick blanket around her shoulders. "I have two patrol cars doing rolling checks on this block every hour. My neighbors are both retired cops. If Mark even sets foot on this street, I'll know before he reaches the lobby."
I made her tea and forced her to eat a piece of toast. The silence in the apartment was heavy, suffocating.
"Why did I stay, Elena?" she asked suddenly, tears spilling over her bruised cheeks. "Why didn't I just leave the first time he hit me?"
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"Because abusers don't start with a punch," I said softly, sitting beside her. "They start with isolation. They cut you off from me, from your friends. They break down your self-esteem until you think you deserve it. It’s a psychological prison. But you broke out, Sarah. That takes more strength than he will ever have."
She rested her head on my shoulder, crying until exhaustion finally pulled her into a restless sleep. I didn't sleep at all. I sat by the door, watching the monitors, waiting for a monster.
