Norah stretched, bringing her arms above her head before wrapping herself up further into the sheets and comforter, tangling herself up in their warmth. She slowly opened her eyes, shielding them from the bright light that flooded through the window, the sounds of birds being heard faintly in the distance and the warm embrace of coffee wafted through the air.

"Mmm... I could get used to this..." She muttered quietly, a sleepy smile spread across her lips.

"You up yet, sleepy head?" Called a familiar voice. All too familiar.

Norah's eyes shot open and she quickly scrambled into a sitting position, her hands grasping desperately at the sheets as they covered her body, as if they could protect her. Her hand covered her mouth as she looked around in disbelief, the shock settling as her body trembled.

This wasn't right... this wasn't right in the least. Everything was different and nothing was what she knew. The color of the walls, now a dingier, beat up appearance. The sheets in her hands; black, stained, worn. Nothing like the comforting feel of Gabriele's apartment. She looked for sense in anything, looked for any trace of Gabriele. Had she dreamed all of that?

"W-What...? How?" Her voice was shaky, her hands trembling.

She looked at her hands, deep purple marks littering her skin and her stomach knotted, this whole situation made her want to vomit. Tears welled at her eyes, quickly spilling over and staining her cheeks as she brought her knees to her chest and hugged herself close. She tried desperately to wipe away the tears that flowed, the salt stinging on open wounds. She didn't want to believe that she was still trapped in this world with him. How could everything been made up? It all felt so real.

"Well, you coming for breakfast?" Asked the voice once more.

Norah cowered more into her black shield as she heard the all too familiar weighty footsteps approaching the room. She brought the blanket to her chin, holding it close as she looked at the door frame, her breath hitched in her throat as she begged, prayed, pleaded with anything and everything to please have this moment be a dream.

Then her worst nightmare came true as a figure rounded the corner. Tall, burly, he could easily stand over anyone, his intimidating build that of a giant. She looked up at him through her eyelashes, chewing on her lip. He crossed his board arms over his chest, leaning against the door frame as he watched her with those ever-judging eyes, those deep green eyes that once looked at her like she meant everything in the world. Now they looked at her in disgust and shame, nothing but hate and anger.

He ran a hand through his hair, pulling the black curls back as he sighed, hanging his head. "What's your problem now?" He asked, his voice lacking compassion or love.

Norah flinched, the words seeming harmless but they dug knives into her, causing more tears to well and spill over.

"D-Dallas...?" She asked quietly, her lip quivering as she watched the giant looming over her.

"Hm?" Dallas hummed, sighing, "I don't have time for your games. Get your ass out of bed and get going." His words were harsh, heavy. "I have work in an hour and I expect you to do something other than lay around in bed all day being such a useless waste of space." He turned his back at this, walking back into the kitchen.

Norah couldn't help the sob that broke from her, consuming her as she buried her face in the blanket and her hands. How could this be happening? A fist hitting wood broke through the air a moment later, causing her to jump as her breath hitched in her throat, her body tense. She expected Dallas to return to the room in the blink of an eye, but when there was no sign of Dallas returning, she slowly pulled herself out of bed. She swallowed hard, holding her breath to keep the hiccups from plaguing her. She let the breaths out slow, deliberately; as if her life depended on it.

She pulled on a t-shirt from a nearby chair, then tugged on a pair of sweatpants, covering the purple marks and the open wounds that littered her once perfect, flawless skin. She pulled her hair over her shoulder, the long locks broken and damaged. Her arms crossed over her chest, her hands resting on her elbows as she cradled her broken body. Every step brought a surge of pain, pain that was all too familiar.

As she rounded the corner, Dallas was behind the kitchen counter sipping on coffee. She didn't dare make eye contact with him as she walked behind him, her hand reaching for the coffee pot, her other reaching for a mug. From the small glimpse she had gotten, he looked angry. Rage boiling in those green eyes, hatred consuming him.

"I don't know why I put up with you. I should have just thrown you back out on the streets like the fucking stray you are." Dallas growled, his words cold and harsh.

"Why don't you then? Anything would be better than dealing with you every day." Norah snapped, her voice no longer shaking. Tears begged to fall and she wiped them away before they even got the chance to betray her as she glared Dallas.

He gripped his coffee mug, his knuckles turning white as he gritted his teeth. "Excuse me?" He growled, turning to look at Norah, "how much of an ungrateful bitch can you be?"

Norah looked at him fully now, the fire in her eyes lit now as she held on her own mug. "I don't know, when did you become such an egotistical asshole? When did love stop being a part of anything?" She retorted before lifting the mug to her lips.

Fighting was normal, Norah wasn't one to back down from a fight; she was afraid of Dallas, but not enough to keep her mouth shut. Once-upon-a-time Norah could say that she loved the man in front of her, that she found comfort in his arms and that she took joy in seeing his face every day; now all he brought was hate and pain. She wasn't sure when Dallas stopped loving her.

A hand reached out, slapping her across the face hard enough to cause her to drop her mug. The ceramic smashed against the floor, the sound echoing through the air as hot coffee splattered around their feet and ankles. Her hand instinctively reached for her cheek, rubbing the bright red mark left behind as she glared at Dallas, tears begging to spill but she bit them back.

"Oh, is that how we're solving this today?" She asked, her voice bitter and full of venom as she stepped back from Dallas and the mess of ceramic and coffee that littered the floor.

"Always turning to violence when things don't go your way." She hissed, "you're an asshole and a bastard and I don't know what I ever saw in you to love."

She could tell Dallas was growing more angrier the longer she spoke but she found she couldn't care anymore. She was tired of being used and abused when she didn't do anything wrong but love the wrong man. Dallas balled up his fists, his knuckles turning white and his entire body tensing up as Norah dug into him with her words.

"You're a monster." Her words stung.

"You want me gone so badly, maybe I'll do just that!" She yelled at him, throwing up her arms before she turned her back to him, her steps leading her into the bedroom. "I'm sick of your shit anyways." She snarled, her hands furiously picking up her belongings. She should have just left, given up on her things and left.

That was her fatal mistake.

His steps were heavy, weighty as they quickly thumped across the floor, following Norah's in their wake. As her hands reached for a nearby pack, a hand found its way into her long locks, tangling in the curls before a rough yank pulled her from the things she was doing. She yelped as she was pulled against Dallas' body, her back hitting his chest with a thud of its own, and she gasped as the air was knocked out of her.

Dallas' hand tightened in her hair, twisting as he kept a firm grip on her. Her hands shot up into her hair, desperately pulling and clawing to release his hand with no success, her body tensing up as the panic settled.

She could feel hot breath on her ear and neck as he pulled her tight, "you aren't going anywhere, bitch," he growled, his voice deep as he snarled.