The Girl With Two Names

Chapter 1

You got out of bed and brushed your beautiful dirty blonde hair. You decided on two French braids since he likes it up. You finished up your second braid when he walked in.

"Mm I like it y/n." His voice made your skin crawl.

You gave him a half hearted smile before turning your back to him and rolling your eyes. You couldn't stand this man. No, not a man. He was nothing of a "man." He was a coward. His charm was the only thing you love. Loved. That all disappeared after 7 months into the relationship. It had also been 4 years since you met him.

You were going on a date today. You wore a black dress that rested a few inches above your knees. Over that, you threw on a oversized denim jacket. To keep it casual, you completed the outfit with black ankle boots. You didn't wear earrings or a necklace because it was "too noticeable."

The restaurant was nice. He ordered for you and of course, he would pay. The waiter was a tall, black-haired, slight built guy. You and him shared a few laughs over your order before he eyed you to keep it down. You did and eventually the waiter walked away with your order and you put your head down.

"The bill ma'am." He offered.

"Actually I'll take that."

The waiter looked over at you for approval and you slowly nodded. After he payed, he grabbed your arm with a strong, firm grip and pulled you out of there.

He threw you into the apartment.

"You bitch! What the hell was that! Flirting with the waiter while I'm right there?" He snarled. "You know I don't like that!"

"It's not what it looked li-"

Before finishing he slapped you and you fell to the ground. You held your stinging cheek and started to cry.

"I swear it wasn-" Your pleas were interrupted with his swift kicks.

5 long minutes later he stopped. His punches and kicks left you holding onto yourself on the ground. He stared in condemnation from behind as you tried to rub away your wounds. You were once a profiler in Missouri, but now you lay on the cracked ground, his silhouette over you. What had once made you unique and powerful, he had diminished into worthless tufts. Looking back, you could see the mechanisms of control... the disapprovals and judgements, the withholding of affection.

His mischievous grin had been a brick dungeon, a place you had felt so unable to get out of, unable to talk to anyone from, unable to be yourself. Now, in this shattering of trust and love, the walls were gone. He broke you again.

He left the living room and walked into the bedroom, slamming the door causing you to flinch.

You were left there, trying to hold the pieces that remain together. You looked into a mirror on the floor of the room. You saw a messy paintwork of colors, a fragmented reflection seeking to reform into something new, hopefully something beautiful again.

After almost beating you unconscious, you waited until he was well asleep to leave. You grabbed his keys, all his money from his wallet, and your passport and other necessities before taking his car and driving away. You didn't know where but you just drove, as far away as possible, crying the entire time.

Halfway through you rolled the window down and threw your phone out. You watched in the mirror as it flew and collided with the ground, completely shattering. You smiled. For the first time, you smiled. You turned the radio on and started laughing. You were free.

You ended up driving the 13 hours to wind up in the east coast, more specifically Virginia.