Azalea

“Now get lost!” he roared.

I grabbed my dress from the floor with shaking hands and ran upstairs as fast as I could. My feet barely touched the cold floor, and I couldn’t stop running until I reached my room.

I slammed the door and pressed my back against it. My whole body was shaking. I slid down to the floor, trying to catch my breath.

“He is worse than I thought,” I whispered to myself.

I barely slept that night. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw his cold, mean eyes looking at me like I wasn’t a person—just something he owned.

When morning came, I felt...