[In the Shadows of Love] ~ Pedri.Gonzalez

Chapter 6

Back at the car, Bella noticed Emily's frustration. She reached over, placing a comforting hand on Emily's shoulder, and said, "Please, Emily, don't listen to him. He's just a jerk. You just achieved one of your dreams and you're working at your dream club. Focus on that amazing accomplishment."

Emily sighed, her voice trembling as she responded, "I know, but you're the only person who truly knows how hard and toxic this relationship was. I was happy thinking that I had healed from what he did to me, but it's hard.
I don't want to remember it. Fuck." She broke down and started crying, her emotions overwhelming her.

Flashback to  the break up:

Emily sat at home, staring blankly at the wall as her thoughts raced. She knew she had to tell Mark that she was done with him, that she wanted to break up. The words swirled in her mind, but none of them seemed right. She took a deep breath, trying to organize her thoughts.
Suddenly, she heard the front door open. Mark was back home, but it was clear from the way he stumbled in that he was drunk again.

She stood up, her frustration boiling over. "What the hell, Mark? You're drunk again!"

Mark glared at her, his speech slurred and aggressive. "Shut the fuck up, Emily."

Emily felt a mixture of fear and resolve. This was the final push she needed to end things once and for all.

Emily stood her ground, her frustration turning into anger. "No, you shut the fuck up! I'm done, Mark, with all your bullshit. I want to break up."

Mark's face twisted in rage as he stepped closer. "Emily, don't raise your fucking voice at me, or you'll see something you don't like."

mily's voice trembled with a mix of anger and pain as she looked Mark straight in the eyes. "What can you do more, huh? Tell me, what can you do more to me? You already broke me inside out, made me feel like shit all the time, bullied me, abused me. What can you do more?"

Ignoring the danger in his eyes, she moved even closer and, with all her pent-up anger and pain, slapped him across the face. "I fucking hate you."

Mark's face twisted with rage as he recovered from the slap. He yelled back, his voice booming in the small space, "You think you can just hit me and get away with it?"

Before Emily could react, Mark lunged at her, grabbing her by the throat and slamming her against the wall. His grip tightened as he snarled, "You worthless bitch, you think you're so strong? You're nothing without me. No one else would ever put up with you. You're a pathetic excuse for a woman."

Emily's voice came out in strained whispers, barely audible amidst Mark's aggression. "Mark, I can't breathe," she managed to choke out, her plea desperate and urgent.

But Mark's grip only tightened further, his eyes filled with malice as he looked down at her. "You deserve all the bad things, Emily. Know that," he spat out, his words dripping with venom.