A/N: Hi, this this my first fan fiction story! All the characters, of course, belongs to JKR.

Warning: There may be inappropriate contents further along in the story that may not be suitable for people until 18, but that's later in the story.

Enjoy! Please Read & Review!!

CHAPTER ONE

Hermione stared out her window as her hands fiddled nervously with a piece of red ribbon that Ron had given her a year back.

During the war, Voldemort, who shamelessly called his followers cowards everyday, had acted like a coward and had fled from the war. All of his inner circle had managed to have fled with him, but the death eaters who were disposable to Voldemort were tossed in Azkaban.

It's been 3 years since Voldemort had escaped, and there were no words or whereabouts where he is hiding. Rumors has it that he was hiding in Romania, but there wasn't any proof.

2 years after the war, Ron took this opportunity to propose to Hermione, who accepted with tears streaming down her face. The day of their wedding, Ron had given Hermione a red ribbon. The red ribbon gave an illusion of flames dancing around the rope, the flames represents the love the owner has for the giver of the ribbon. Each marriage, wizards were to present witches they were marrying a ribbon, so throughout their marriage, a wizard would know if their wife still loves them. The ribbon deceives no one. However, the ribbon doesn't reciprocate the other way. There was no way a witch can find out if her husband still love her or not.

Hermione stared down at her ribbon, the flame once burnt bright with passion and life, now it's just barely flickering. She tried her best not to bring Ron's attention to it. She heard a loud pop and she knew Ron was back. She quickly shoved the ribbon into her pocket and stood up straight.

"How's the search dear?" she asked Ron, who looked tattered and tired. He snapped his head towards Hermione.

"This is none of your business. You're a wife, you do what a wife usually do. Cook, clean and mind their husbands own business!" Ron snarled.

Ron seemed to change after 6 months into their marriage. He was more aggressive, easily agitated and abusive. He had hit Hermione a few times out of anger or if she had done something wrong such as forgetting to clean his shoes or leaving a cup on the table.

Hermione was use to his malicious remarks, but it still cuts her open every time he whips one at her. She quickly got his dinner out on the table as he pushes past her to sit in front of his dinner. After one bite of his steak, he spat it back out.

"what is this?? You know I like my steak cooked specially medium rare, no less, no more! This is overcooked!" Ron growled, "Can't you ever be a good wife?"

"Ron, it's just slightly overcook, you can see the pink throughout the steak." Hermione went to point it out, but Ron grabbed her hands and twisted it until she cried out in pain.

"Do not talk back to me witch!!" He shouted. He released her hands and backhanded her across the room. She choked back a sob and watched Ron sweep dinner off the table and splatter all over the floor, "Clean that up witch. I'm going out for dinner, I expect you to be ready by the time I get home." and with that, he apparated elsewhere.

Hermione finally let her tears flow freely. She knew when Ron said 'ready' he meant that she would be naked on the bed and ready for him to take her. He doesn't do any foreplay to turn Hermione on, so she has to arouse herself before Ron comes back or else he would take her dry. There were no kisses in their lovemaking, no love, no feeling, just a duty to please Ron.

Hermione used her wand to clean the mess up and went up to their room. She looked at her ribbon, which was barely burning anymore. In fact, you have to look very closely and you may lucky enough to see it flickering. She knew if Ron had seen the ribbon, he would surely kill her. She couldn't tell Harry because he was forever loyal to Ron. Ginny would also side Ron no matter what.

When Hermione once confessed to Ginny that Ron had hit her, Ginny glared at her and said, "If you do not fulfil your duties as a wife, he has every right to hit you. You're just a bad wife Hermione. Don't you ever blame him! And you will not tell anyone of this, or you will have no one. I have Harry wrapped around my fingers, so if I tell him not to talk to you, he won't."

Ever since, Hermione had kept everything quiet. She has no clue why she stuck around. Ron had ripped her heart out, trampled all over it, ripped apart her self confidence, left her with no self-esteem and shattered her soul. She knew that she had to get away.

She quickly looked at the clock and used your wand to pack all her belongings. She managed to fit it all in one suitcase. Whenever Ron's bills came in, Hermione noticed that he had purchased a lot of jewellery and dresses from expensive stores, but she had never once gotten any of them. She suspected that Ron has a mistress, but when she confronted him about it, he had beaten her up so bad that she had one broke rib and had to stay inside all week and waited for her bruises to heel. Ron had taken her wand and wouldn't let her heal herself magically because he wanted her to "feel the pain" of her meddling in things she shouldn't be meddling in.

She sighed, looked around her room one last time before she apparated herself to the streets of london.