1 Fear

Skye looked down at her watch, it was a quarter past eight, and the night wind was already grazing her skin causing chills to run down her spine but at that moment the cold was the least of her problems.

Earlier that day, she watched the news, Theo, her boyfriend had lost the court case he was working on so she knew he was already in a bad mood, and getting home late would only fuel his anger.

She rushed through the train station, bumping into everyone in her way without so much as looking back to check if they were doing alright. After running for what felt like forever, she finally caught her breath once she was seated in the taxi she called earlier on but that wasn't enough to calm her racing heart.

Being a victim of abuse in the past, Skye did everything she could to please her boyfriend because she was afraid he would flare up and lose his temper. Theo had a habit of getting violent with her whenever he didn't get what he wanted or if he was angry and his outbursts were more frequent due to the stress from his work.

Just as She was lost in thoughts, her phone rang, snapping her back to reality but all the blood drained from her face the moment she saw who was calling. With shaky hands, she picked up the call and slowly brought the phone up to her ear.

"Hel-hello...?" Her voice shook as she tried to speak, fear gripping her entire being.

"Where the hell are you at this ungodly hour?" Theo yelled through the phone, loud enough for the taxi driver to raise an eyebrow in concern causing Skye to burn red with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, I got delayed by my lecturer for some extra points on my project but I'm already on my way, I'll be home soon Theo." She said, finally pulling herself together.

"If you're not back here in the next twenty minutes, I'll deal with you accordingly." 

The beeping sound after Theo's words signaled Skye that he had already hung up the call. She dropped her arm and slouched back in exhaustion.

"Please speed up the drive." She informed the driver who in turn gave her a nod.

She was tired of the relationship but was too afraid to take action if she dared initiate a breakup, Theo would beat her up and if he initiated the breakup, her attachment issues would stop her from leaving him.

She hid the bruises with makeup and long-sleeved shirts so they couldn't be seen but even if they were visible, no one could help her, I mean who would dare go up against Theo Lane all for all a girl with no name or family, she was all alone in that cold, cruel world.

"Ma'am, we're here."

She paid the driver and got out of the car, slowly making her way towards the apartment. The house was dark and silent when she stepped in and the only thing she could see was the ghostly figure of Theo in the corner of the room being illuminated by the light from his laptop.

The sound of her footsteps echoed in the silence as she crept toward him, her heart pounding from the dreadful expectation of what was to come.

"I gave you twenty minutes." He said, setting the laptop aside and closing the distance between them.

"I know, but there was traffic on the way and-" She was interrupted by a sharp pang in her ears, Theo had slapped and he didn't hold back with the force because she started nose-bleeding soon after.

"I am already in a bad mood so don't push me any further, Skye!" The veins on his forehead began to pop out as he clenched his fists angrily.

She shut her eyes tightly, preparing herself for yet another fight where Theo would beat her up till he was satisfied, a usual routine for him.

This time, however, before his hands could land on her, Theo's phone rang, interrupting them.

He walked out and went to answer the call but not before giving her a glare that made the hair on her back stand still. Skye took that moment to regain her composure and catch her breath but a few minutes later, Theo came in with a file in his hand.

"My boss is waiting outside in his car, hand this file over to him."

"Alright."

She took the file from his hands and made her way toward the parking lot unsure of which car belonged to his boss. Just as she was walking around the parking lot, she heard a voice from behind.

"Skye?"

She turned back only to be met by a pair of unfamiliar eyes.

"Do I...know you?" She inquired.

The man simply shook his head but not before Skye saw a wave of nostalgia and relief wash over him for a split second.

"My apologies, I thought you were someone else." His gaze darkened once he took notice of her face, a red handprint visible even in the dimly lit basement.

Not wanting to look like a creep, the man said nothing about the bruise much to Skye's delight.

Just as she began to walk away, he called out to her again "Excuse me miss, do you by any chance know a man named Theo, he lives in one of the apartments here."

Her eyes widened in shock, "Theo? Are you his boss?" 

"Yes, I am."

She sighed in relief on hearing his words and immediately stretched out the file toward him. "Theo asked me to give this to you, he's occupied right now and can't bring it himself."

From the look on his face, Skye knew Theo's boss had a hint about what was going on behind closed doors in her house and she was too embarrassed to say anything else, especially with the way she looked at that moment.

"Thank you, I shall take my leave now." Saying that, the man just left and immediately got into his car leaving Skye standing there in shock still perplexed by his peculiar behavior.