Shame

I should have let him break me. If I had, I wouldn't have to live in terror, waiting for the next call. Because there will be a next time. He will hurt me again, and there will be nothing I can do to stop it. The only stingy ray of light at the end of this pitch-black tunnel is Lucas. Though he's pledged his loyalty to Salvatore, he gives me strength. He sees the woman I once was lurking beneath the devastation wreaked upon my body and, little by little, he brings me back to myself. He is my forbidden hope for a future free of this nightmare. Until Salvatore realizes he can use Lucas to destroy the last bit of my resistance. But I have something Salvatore may want even more than my destruction. The life that grows inside of me in exchange for my freedom. For a fresh start with the man I love by my side. It's my only hope… and my greatest shame.