His face was a storm of emotions - anger, hatred, and cold indifference. The way he glared at me with those wide, dark eyes made it clear he wanted nothing more than to destroy me completely.

"Richard, my leg really hurts," Helen whimpered dramatically, her voice pitched perfectly to sound helpless.

Without even glancing at me, Richard turned away, scooped Helen up in his arms, and rushed out the door as if I didn't exist.

I sat there frozen on the floor, completely lost ...