Puppet of Love

CHAPTER 9

**Hannah’s POV**

The courtroom had been a place of reckoning, but as Hannah lay in bed, the darker memories of her relationship with Nicholas began to surface. These memories were harder to face, but she knew they were an integral part of her story—one that needed to be acknowledged and understood.

**Flashback to College Years**

The first signs of Nicholas’s brutality had been subtle. What had initially seemed like passionate intensity slowly morphed into controlling behavior. She remembered the first time she had felt a pang of fear around him. It was during their senior year, just a few months before graduation.

They had been arguing about something trivial—her plans for a weekend trip with Freya and Crystal. Nicholas had insisted she cancel, claiming he needed her support for an important project. When she had stood her ground, refusing to change her plans, his reaction had been swift and shocking.

“You’re not going anywhere,” he had snarled, grabbing her arm with a force that left bruises. “You belong with me, Hannah. Always with me.”

**Freya’s POV**

Freya had noticed the changes in Hannah, the subtle signs of distress that she tried to hide. There were times when Hannah seemed jumpy, her smile not reaching her eyes. Freya had tried to confront her, but Hannah always brushed off her concerns, insisting that everything was fine.

One night, Freya had found Hannah in their shared dorm room, tears streaming down her face. Nicholas had just left after another heated argument. Freya had held her friend, feeling helpless but determined to find a way to support her.

“Please, Hannah, talk to me,” Freya had pleaded. “What’s going on with Nicholas?”

Hannah had shaken her head, her voice barely a whisper. “I can’t, Freya. You wouldn’t understand.”

But Freya had understood more than Hannah realized. She saw the fear in her friend’s eyes, the way she flinched at sudden movements. It broke her heart to see Hannah in such pain, and she vowed to be there for her, no matter what.

**Crystal’s POV**

Crystal had also noticed the changes in Hannah. She had seen the once-vibrant girl she had befriended in school slowly retreat into herself. Crystal had tried to reach out, to offer a listening ear, but Hannah had always kept her at arm’s length when it came to Nicholas.

One evening, Crystal had accidentally overheard a phone call between Hannah and Nicholas. The tone of his voice, the venom in his words, had sent chills down her spine.

“You think you can defy me?” Nicholas had hissed. “You’re nothing without me, Hannah. Remember that.”

Crystal had wanted to intervene, to tell Hannah she didn’t have to put up with such treatment. But the fear of making things worse had held her back. She had kept a close watch on her friend, waiting for the right moment to help.

**Hannah’s POV**

The abuse escalated after they got married. The first few months had been filled with promises of change, of a fresh start. But it wasn’t long before Nicholas’s true nature resurfaced. The controlling behavior became more intense, and the outbursts of anger more frequent.

She remembered a particularly brutal incident that had left her terrified for her life. It had started as a minor disagreement over dinner plans. Nicholas had come home in a foul mood, and nothing she did seemed to please him. The argument quickly escalated, and before she knew it, he had thrown a plate across the room, shattering it against the wall.