When all of a sudden, she heard the bedroom door open, and Chris stood in the doorway, his expression dark and accusing.
"Where have you been?" he demanded, his voice laced with anger.
"What do you mean? I was at work," Lucy replied, trying to keep her tone calm.
"Don't talk to me like that!" Chris snapped, advancing towards Lucy and grabbing her wrists forcefully.
"Chris, stop!" Lucy protested, feeling the pain in her wrists intensify.
"Why?!" Chris demanded, his voice slurred with drunkenness.
"Because it hurts, and I haven't done anything," Lucy pleaded, her voice trembling.
"Yes, you have! You were supposed to come back five minutes ago!" Chris shouted, his grip tightening on Lucy's wrists.
"Have you heard of traffic?" Lucy retorted, her voice tinged with frustration.
"Do not be like that!" Chris growled, his anger palpable.
"Sorry," Lucy apologized meekly as Chris finally let go of her wrists.
"You won't be eating today either," Chris declared.
"Okay... I am going to bed," Lucy said quietly, retreating to her room.
"Dinner?!" Chris called after her.
"Sorry, I will do it now," Lucy replied, her voice barely audible as she closed the door behind her and sank onto her bed.
The next morning, Lucy's alarm went off, and she quickly turned it off to avoid waking Chris. She went to the bathroom and took a shower, but as she finished and looked in the mirror, she saw the bruises on her arms and cursed under her breath. "Shit, shit, shit. How am I supposed to hide this?" she muttered to herself.
She tried to cover the bruises on her face with makeup, and decided to wear a jacket to conceal the marks on her arms, despite the heat outside. At roll call, Gray informed them that the night shift had done their job well, allowing them to focus on finding crime that day. However, he instructed Lucy and Tim to remain at the station.
In the break room, Tim noticed Lucy's discomfort with the jacket in the heat and asked her about it. "Lucy, why are you wearing a jacket when it is really hot outside?" he inquired.
"Um, I am cold," Lucy lied, feeling the weight of Tim's concern.
"How?" Tim pressed.
"I don't know," Lucy replied evasively, feeling the walls closing in on her.
As Tim persisted, asking about her eating habits and her unusual behavior, Lucy felt her breath quicken and her head spin with dizziness. She brushed off Tim's questions, but when he tried to take off her jacket, she flinched involuntarily, causing him to pause.
"Why did you flinch when I tried to take off your jacket?" Tim asked gently, his concern evident in his voice.
"Because I got scared," Lucy replied, her voice shaky.
"Why?" Tim pressed further.
"I don't know, maybe it's because you tried to take off my jacket when I clearly said I didn't want to," Lucy replied, her breath coming in shallow gasps.
Before Tim could respond, Angela entered the break room, wanting to speak with Tim privately. As they stepped outside, Angela expressed her concerns about Lucy, suspecting that she might be either experiencing abuse or struggling with her mental health.
Tim agreed, sharing his observations with Angela and suggesting they talk to Gray about it. Angela added that they should also consider setting up cameras in Lucy's apartment if they noticed further signs of abuse.
Determined to help Lucy, they headed to Gray's office to discuss their suspicions. However, when they returned to the break room to speak with Lucy, they found her on the floor.
