Hello everyone :) I sat down to write and this poured out of me. Rated T for violence and sexual overtones. Hope you guys like it :) Please leave a review if you do!

Her eyes are sea-green, the color of the ocean, and hold secrets just as deep. From across the room, she looks at me with such turmoil in her gaze, yet her face is a blank slate.

I feel Stephanie's hand slip into my own, her fingers intertwining with mine and her breath hot on my neck as she leans close to me. "Jack, I'm ready to go home."

I tear my eyes away from the mysterious redhead and direct them toward my fiancée. The champagne glass in my hand suddenly feels as though it weighs a ton, and I place it upon a nearby table to free myself. Stephanie continues to latch onto me, like a leech or a child, her brown eyes boring into my face as she waits for me to announce our departure from the party.

I'm not prepared for an argument tonight. I give in easily this time.

"Jonathan," I say, attracting the attention of the dark-haired homeowner.

He turns to me with a fake grin, the kind hosts keep plastered on their faces throughout their event. "Jack!"

"Your party was lovely. Great wine, great champagne. Stephanie and I are leaving for the night."

"Thanks so much for coming." He extends his hand out to me, which I grip firmly and return his handshake. My fiancée wears a smug expression as we head for the door, her head held high and her heels clacking against the hardwood floor as she walks.

I can feel the redhead's gaze on me until the door closes behind us.

OOOOO

Stephanie is upset with me.

Nothing new.

Her pink lingerie is tight on her toned torso as she sits in front of me on the bed, batting her eyelashes and pouting. "Jack, I want to have fun tonight."

"I told you, I'm tired."

"Please." She grabs a handful of my nightshirt's fabric and tugs on it so hard I'm surprised it doesn't rip. "I want you." Her voice is low and seductive; she uses the tone I love, the one that gets me going every time, but this night something's different inside of me.

I'm almost repulsed by her sight. I have no explanation why.

With a sigh, I gently push away her hand and set my feet on the carpet. "Not tonight."

"Jack." Her voice is firm now, with a hint of desperation. "I want you…"

The thought of her naked and lying next to me makes my head ache with a pounding ferocity. I close my eyes and stand up, leaving her sulking on the bed as I walk into the bathroom and shut the door behind me.

Light floods the room when I flip the switch on, the bulbs positioned on the ceiling casting an eerie yellow glow over me. My eyes look to be sunken into my skull; my cheekbones are high and prominent this evening; the blonde in my hair seems to have faded, my locks dry and feeling like straw. My twenty-first birthday was only last month, yet I easily look ten years older tonight.

I lift my hand up to the mirror, the glass cold against my fingertips. I feel as though I'm searching—for what, I'm not sure. My thoughts revert back to Stephanie in the bedroom; is she throwing a fit or staying calm? Dread fills my stomach at the thought of going back to her, of sleeping next to her.

Why?

I've never had this problem before. Stephanie was infamous for being an immature brat at times, but I always managed to look past it and remind myself why I asked her to be my wife in the first place.

But tonight, no matter how long I stare into this bathroom mirror and force myself to think, I'm unable to find any good memories between us.

An engaged woman shouldn't be having thoughts like this, but when his face turns to mine from across the room and our gazes meet, I lose my breath.

My husband-to-be Cal is nowhere to be found; I assume he's in a back bedroom with that beak-nosed mistress of his. He thinks I have no idea, but he underestimates my cleverness. I was not raised a dumb woman; then again, I continue to stay with him despite his affairs.

Yet Cal is long out of my mind as this man lifts his eyes from his champagne glass and focuses them on me, his lips parting just the slightest, as if in awe. I've been told I'm beautiful, but it didn't matter to me until this moment, until he laid his eyes on me.

His gaze is as crystal and blue as the sky, or the unwavering sea's surface. The tuxedo he wears is tight around his biceps, but only enough to make me want to see his skin underneath the black fabric. His hair is blonde and slicked back, his eyes attached to mine, speaking volumes yet his mouth is silent.

I want to be closer to him, and he to me.

I want him.

A thin brunette grabs his hand and pulls him closer to her, whispering in his ear with a devilish expression on her face. He looks defeated and sets down his champagne glass before telling Jonathan goodbye.

His back is stiff, as is his stride, as he walks out the door with the woman in tow, and I can almost feel disappointment come off of him in waves at leaving me behind.

I want to follow him, I want to tell him my name. But I stay where I am, separated from the partygoers and sipping my alcohol, dreading what I am sure will come tonight when Cal is finished with his mistress.

OOOOO

The film of sweat on my skin is disgusting; almost as revolting as the expression of accomplishment on Cal's face as he lies in bed next to me, his bare chest rising and falling with his heavy breaths. I hate myself for giving into his advances tonight, but I feared punishment more than I did sex.

I kept my mouth closed as he undressed, allowing myself to think nasty comments about his mistress but forbidding myself from saying them aloud. They'd only be met with Cal's fist, and I was not prepared for that tonight.

I leave the warmth of the bed in search of a nightgown, my mind reeling from the experience. I tell myself I don't have to live this way, I don't have to marry him, but then he whispers threats of more abuse and even death to me if I leave, and my heart sinks into my chest. Courage was never on my side; fear, on the other hand, has been my constant companion.

With panties on and a nightgown covering my body, I feel better and am eventually able to return to the bed. Cal's snores are loud, but I thank God he's asleep as I position myself as far away from him as possible on the mattress, my legs dangling off the edge. My heart beats uncertainly in my chest, as it does every night, and I fall into an uneasy sleep.