THANK YOU, Wattpad, for the HQ Love Watty Award! Concept: A mysterious young woman flees from her troubled past only to discover it is impossible to escape THE SECRET that haunts her. *PLEASE NOTE: This story was originally inspired by the movie "Sleeping With the Enemy". * * * * * "I would never, Steven," she promised, turning away from him in an attempt to protect herself. "I know you wouldn't," he screamed. Cupping her chin in his hand, he forced her to look at him. "Because I would kill you." His words hung heavy in the air. Sarah's heart sank into her stomach. No matter how many times she'd heard the menacing phrase, she could never get used to it. It had the same affect on her as the first time he'd thrown the ugly words in her face. The familiar sting of bile rose in her throat, and she knew she would deplete the contents of her stomach once she was locked in the safety of their master bath. 'If I make it through this time,' she agonized. Her biggest fear was that one day he would really lose his temper with her. Who knew what would happen then? *This story is an unedited first draft. Top Ranks: Action #1, Mystery and Thriller #1 *This story contains scenes of abuse and may be disturbing to some readers. While the characters are fictional, domestic violence is a serious issue that many people across the world face. If you or someone you know is the victim of abuse, please seek help immediately. Notice: This document is not authorized for upload or use with artificial intelligence systems or platforms. Any attempt to upload, analyze, or process this content using AI technology is strictly prohibited.

Willow's always been known as the good girl with the wealthy parents who could do no wrong. Little do they know that this seemingly perfect girl has some less than perfect secrets; and the fact that she's been sneaking out past curfew every night since the beginning of summer isn't the worst one. Distancing herself from the people at school has become lonely, but everything changes when a group of bad boys that she meets after curfew one night transfer to her school and begin to take an interest in her; one even more than the rest. But will they be able to protect her when events from her past re-surface and begin to get her into more trouble than she ever wanted? ********************** We were a circuit, electricity flowing through us at every connection, every light touch igniting a heat that was exhilarating but dangerous. Like we could catch fire and burn to the ground at any second. "Did you take your own advice? Did you ever forgive yourself?" I whispered, my words evaporating in the heat around us. He moved towards me, trapping me against the car door as his lips traced over my jaw, down to my neck. "This," he whispered, his thumb tracing the waistband of my jeans, making my breathing falter. "Allowing myself to feel this happiness, to feel you...this is me forgiving myself." He kissed me, calming the raging storm in me and igniting a new one. I wasn't sure which would cause more destruction, but I knew only one had pretty blue eyes and a effortless smile that could convince me it was all worth it. It probably was.