The Ring

"Escape was never an option," I tell him. "This hell is eternal."

Natalie Taylor never pictured herself stuck in a deadly contract. When she was so young, she couldn't have known that the man she thought was her savior had other plans for her, or that she would grow up surrounded by the worst kind of men to teach her to throw punches and defend herself in life-or-death situations. At ten, she swore never to trust another man. A year later, she decided never to love. At 18, she knew she'd never be whole again. And her entire life, she wondered why she'd ever been born and when she'd ever be lucky enough to die.

But some days, she still wonders if there is a single person in the world willing to save someone as lost as her. Someone strong enough to chase away all her nightmares, all her pain.

And then she laughs at herself and remembers she can't afford to be childish. Her life doesn't allow mistakes.