The story I had replayed in my mind for months had to come to the surface, and I was so inspired that even after hours of writing, I still felt the drive that kept me going.

The light from the computer screen glowed on my tired eyes, but I was determined to keep on typing. At that moment, I knew my tears meant nothing to him… I flinched when he spoke in a deep voice after the long break of silence. “Do you remember what I told you about crying?” The glimmer of light was dead and gone, the darkness ten times stronger than before. When his eyes focused on me again, his cruelty returned with a vengeance. Taking a deep breath, he parted his lips and just when he was about to speak, something within him shifted and he turned his head away from me.

His eyes lingered on my face, burning an impression that would haunt me for the rest of my life. For a ridiculously short second it almost seemed like he wanted to tell me that there was no need to cry. Unexpectedly, the darkness in his eyes was replaced by a glimmer of light that was hanging on a thread. The longer he observed my tears, the more his face turned into an unreadable expression like he was taken aback by my undeniable display of weakness. His gaze roamed along my probably red and puffed face, pausing at the edge of my eyelids. Heavy tears spilled from my eyes and rolled onto my cheeks, forming a wet stream as I tried to breathe through the fierce sobs that emerged from the depths of my body. I winced from the sickening fear he evoked within me and I lost all of my control. Please don't read this if you are under the age of 18, or find such things disturbing! It will contain strong language, disturbing situations and in some parts non – consensual sexual content. WARNING: This is not your typical 'hearts and flowers' romance story. All of the songs and compositions that inspired my writing can be found here. This book would not have been written without the help of musical inspiration.

The names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. No part of this book may be reproduced or shared in any form, including, but not limited to printing, photocopying, faxing, or emailing without prior written permission from the author.

Virtue and vanity astrid jane ray