“Since it’s our first time, I just wanted everything to be perfect. I want it to be perfect for you . . . I’m not perfect right now.”

Kohen’s eyes gleam with regret. “I’m so sorry ba—”

I cut him off. If I hear him call me baby one more time, I might lose it.

“Don’t be, it’s my fault. I just wish that we could wait.” I place my lips close to his again. “But don’t worry. It doesn’t have to be perfect. I’m just over-thinking it.”

Kohen yanks me out of my chair. He crashes his mouth against mine and kisses me roughly. Keeping up the act, I kiss him back. I even go as far as moaning into his mouth and clinging to him like I’m desperate for him.

Kohen breaks away first only because I force myself to keep kissing him. I have to make this believable. Tonight is the only night I have. I won’t let him have me. I won’t be his prisoner. I will either escape or I’ll die. Either way, I’ll be free.

As Kohen turns around to lead the way to the stairs, I make my move. Slowly I slip the scalpel out of the side of my dress. I keep my eyes on Kohen’s back. He continues walking, oblivious. I jerk my arm out of his and aim for my target. His neck. He turns at the same time I slam the scalpel into him.

I miss.

Instead of his neck, I sink it into the top of his shoulder. I don’t know who screams louder, him, or me when I crash into the foyer table from the force of his blow. Glass scatters everywhere. I push myself to my feet, ignoring the glass embedded into my hands, and run the short distance to the door. My legs are kicked out from underneath me.

I grit my teeth as glass rips through my too-thin dress and slides into my back. Blindly, I reach for a large shard that I can use to stab him. His hands wrap around my neck.

I stare into his black eyes as he strangles me. I need to find . . . something to hurt him . . . with. My vision blurs as the remaining oxygen begins to leave my body.

There!

Clutching the shard in my hand, I stab him in the thigh. The second it sinks into him, he releases my throat. He yanks it out and blood gushes out of him. He tries to control the bleeding with his hands as I crawl away from him.

Kohen screams at me as I crawl to the door. Ignoring him, I fumble with the locks. He’s staggering to his feet by the time I open it. He yells again, but it’s swallowed up by the screeching alarm I was unaware he set.

Running out of that disastrous house as fast as I can, I stumble down the porch and onto the grass. It takes a second too long to gather my bearings. Once I’m able to breathe in the fresh air, I flee. Rain has moistened the sand, making it that much harder to gain distance.

Every few feet, my legs carry me from the biggest mistake of my life. I look behind me to make sure Kohen isn’t following. As the rain falls harder, I push myself faster, forcing my feet to carry me through the thick sand.

Along the edge of the small cliff, I duck behind the bushes and pant. I brush the branches and leaves out of my way so I can peer through them. Slowly I sit up to look over the bush. The heavy rain screens the house from view. Not hearing signs of Kohen, I lunch forward into a run.

Thunder rumbles off every thirty seconds, a welcoming distraction from the constant ringing in my ears. The sky is dark, the angry ocean crashes into the side of the cliff. Rain pours down so hard it’s impossible to see more than a few feet in front of me and even then I have to squint to make out objects. The lightning is the worst; it’s mocking me by illuminating the entire area. The thunderous bang of the angry sky matches the heavy beating of my heart.

Just keep moving forward. Kohen will kill me if he finds me. These thoughts spin on a wheel, not allowing anything else in to distract me. Each step takes me away from the one man I thought I could trust. Kohen made it easy for me to believe his lies. I never thought he was capable of truly hurting me, I thought he loved me. I wanted to believe that he loved me, that I was capable of being loved.

I was wrong on so many levels, it’s almost laughable.

The rustling in the bushes to my right catches my gaze. I keep my focus on the bush as I run. I don’t see him. It’s just the storm, I tell myself, but I feel Kohen watching me, waiting for me to mess up, so he can capture me. I can’t let that happen. I force my exhausted legs to push harder, to carry me faster. I squint and spot a thick evergreen in the distance. That’s my target. If I can get there, I can hide again for a breather.

Finding energy that wasn’t there before, I sprint forward, towards the tree. From the continuous downpour, it’s harder to move around in the sand. My left foot gets stuck in the mud and I tumble hard onto the ground.

“Fuck!” I yell as my hip connects with a jagged rock.

Luckily, thunder decides to strike at the same time I yell, drowning out all noise. Placing one hand on my hip, I use the other to help me scramble to my feet. I plant my hand on my hip as I continue to run. Pain shoots through my hip with each step, but I can’t stop. If Kohen finds me, it will be worse than any injury I’ve suffered tonight.

Managing to make it to the tree, I quickly step behind it. Gasping for air, I lean my head against the trunk and rest for a second. I lift the bottom of my mud-splattered shirt to evaluate the damage. Just a scratch, I tell myself even though I know I need stitches. Thick mud covers my clothes in clumps, leaves and twigs are tangled into my hair.

My entire body tenses when I hear a noise. I can’t tell if it’s him or wind from the storm. I wait for what feels like minutes but is mere seconds, unmoving, locked into place. It’s just the wind. Not him. I left him. Keep moving!

I look around the tree to see if I can glimpse what I heard. Nothing. I press my hand back to my hip before I run from the protection of the tree, into the darkness, and farther away from Kohen.

I pause long enough to glance around to try and figure out which direction I should be running towards. Its impossible to tell where I am with the rain beating down from the angry night’s sky. I see lights in the distance that appear to belong to a car. I sprint in that direction. As I get closer, I spot the beam of lights again and I know they’re headlights. Keep moving. I’m a survivor. Get to the road. If I make it to the road in time to stop that car, I’ll be safe.

With my escape less than a mile away, I push myself with newfound energy. I finally reach the last bend of the private property. The waves slam into the cliff’s side below me, spraying ocean water onto my path. I trip on a root that has surfaced and fall into a large puddle, cutting my hand on a sharp edge.

Ignoring the pain in my hand, I jump to my feet. I sprint again towards my only escape. Pain registers soon after and I stop. I look down and realize that I must have cut my thigh, too. I push past the agonizing pain. I bite my lip to keep from screaming, and force myself to run through the pain.

I finally reach the last few steps before the clearing on top of the cliff. The road is right there. My escape, my freedom, is only a few steps away. I wipe the rain and filth from my soaked face to clear the blurriness from my eyes.

Lightning strikes, illuminating the night sky. The roaring thunder muffles my scream. My heart sinks into my stomach. There he is. Kohen’s glaring right at me. His hair is dripping wet with rain and mud, his clothes are soaked and torn. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the car making the last turn, but I know I will never make it.

I failed.

I should have known that he would be here waiting. Kohen wouldn’t let me go that easily. He can’t let me go. He’s going to catch me and he’s going to kill me. I see it in his dark, murderous eyes, before he makes his move. I sprint towards my freedom at the exact moment he barrels towards me.