Philip hadn’t seemed harmful at first. He was the best guy a girl could ask for. Hot, blonde hair, blue eyes and did I mention a voice that made you melt at the sound of it? I was the opposite. I had orange-brown eyes and long brunette hair with a slight hint of red in it. I was nowhere near the definition of hot. We’d met while I was out walking in the woods my family owned near our house. Earlier in the year, my family decided to make the land public and add trails. The location of the woods made it the perfect place to relax and get away for a while. Philip happened to be out that day. We bumped into each other and talked for a while. Two weeks after that was our first date. A month later, we called it official. He bought me gifts such as the used but new to me 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. He also got me my cat Starlight, a beautiful calico with a heart on her right back hip.

After about a year and a half, he started to grow more distant and hateful. Little things would turn into big fights. After about another two months, he turned abusive. Any little mistake I made would turn into me getting punched or slapped. At times, he caused injuries. He gave me three broken arms and fractured my right ankle once. The worst was when I’d forgotten to feed Starlight and he locked me in a room and starved me of food for a week. He told me this was how Starlight felt when she wasn’t fed. And it was only one missed feeding! We ended up moving in together near my parents but I was afraid of telling them and him finding out even though my father was the chief of police. So I decided to end it without anyone knowing. That would turn out to be a mistake. On the night of October 3, 2017, I sent him a text saying to meet at our favorite place on the trails, Moonlight Falls, a waterfall that gleamed in the moonlight, around 8 pm. Looking at my phone screen to check the time, the digital clock showed exactly eight pm when I saw him walking up the trail. When he arrives, I sigh and exclaim, “Philip it’s over. I can’t take your abuse anymore.”

I turn to go when he grabs my shoulder and spins me around. In his hate-filled voice, he growls. “It’s not over until I say it’s over Amber.”

Pulling myself from his grasp, I snap, “Yes, it is Philip. You’re an abusive jackass. You’re cold-hearted and you’ve pushed me to my limit.” Slapping him, I start off in the direction of my parent's house.

Hearing him snicker behind me, I turned. “Amber, you made the wrong choice. Now you’re going to pay for it.” I then notice the wooden bat that he carries and the pistol on his hip. His once safe and calming blue eyes were now filled with fiery hatred. He swings the bat at me but misses. I turn and flee. It was then I realized that I might not make it out of these woods alive if he catches me.