Chapter 1

Beca

"Hi,"a boy says, coming up to me. I hope he didn't notice that I've been staring at him for the past hour. He's just so cute. He flips his dark hair to the side, making me want to run my fingers through it.

"Hey,"I say, trying to sound cool and not give away the fact that I've been picturing him naked since I saw him. "I'm Beca." He smiles, his teeth practically sparkling.

"I'm Jesse. I saw you earlier and can't seem to stop thinking about you. You're so beautiful. Did you know that?" I shake my head, lying. Of course, I know that. I flaunt it. Batting my eyelashes at him, I slowly rub my fingers up and down his arm.

"You think I'm beautiful?" I purr. He beams and grabs my hand.

"I want you to know that I didn't come over here to have sex with you,"Jesse states, making my jaw drop and my cheeks to flush. I pull away but he stops me. "I came over here because I want to get to know you." Butterflies erupt in my stomach and I giggle.

"Wow,"is all I can say.

"Though sex isn't out of the picture,"he winks and my knees go weak. He leads me out of the cafe and we start walking and chatting with one another. My parents faces flicker in my mind for a second before I push it away. I know that they won't approve of Jesse. They'll forbid me from seeing him. Maybe that's why I'm doing this. To get back at them for grounding me the night before. Whatever the reason, I'm glad that I snuck out to grab a coffee. Really glad.

8 years later

My hand slowly finds its way to my mouth as I read the stick. It's positive. My hands shake as I grab the other two that I took. They're all the same. I'm pregnant. Tears run down my face as I think about what my husband's reaction will be. I could lie. It wouldn't be the first time that I've lied, but everytime that I have, he found out and beat me so bad that I almost died.

I put my hand on my stomach, thinking about the consequences of lying to him or telling him the truth. I'm so afraid of getting hurt but it's not just me now. It's the unborn child that grows in my stomach. From this moment on, I vow to protect him/her with my life.

The door swings open and I rush out of the bathroom and drop the pregnancy tests into my shoes. He won't look there. Then, I rush downstairs and start setting the food that finished hours ago. I place the cold plate of mashed potatoes, green beans, and chicken into the microwave and start reheating it. The smell coats the air, making my stomach churn. Arms wrap around me and lips trace my neck making me shudder. A sweet smelling perfume that I would never wear, waifs into my nose and even though I don't care for my husband anymore, it still makes me sad. All I ever wanted was love. The kind that you read in books and in fairytales. Now, I don't think that kind of love exists. Jesse takes me shuddering as being aroused and starts groping me.

"Jesse, stop,"I protest weakley, knowing that it won't help. It didn't the last few times. He continues to kiss me until the microwave dings. He pulls away and spins me around, forcing me to look him in those dark, brown eyes of his. The ones the that I used to stare into, not able to look away. Now, I can barely look at him. I shake with fear every time.

"Why is my food in the microwave?"He growls and I wipe my clammy hands on my jeans.

"Y-you said t-t-that you wou-would b-be h-home hours a-ago." His eyes turn almost black and he moves around me. Opening the microwave, he grabs his plate of food and looks at it for a second. Suddenly, he's lifting it up into the air and slamming it down onto my head. Everything goes black and I wake up on the floor. Jesse is standing over me, so I must've just blacked out for a second.

"I'm going out to eat tonight and I won't be coming back till tomorrow. This better be cleaned up." He stomps out of the kitchen, slamming the front door. I wait until I hear the car leave before I get up. Careful not to cut myself on the shards that litter the floor, I sweep it up. I put my hand to my head and it comes away coated with blood.

I have to get out of here. Now.

….

A few months later, I'm shoving stuff into a bag as fast as I can. Jesse will be home soon. He told me that he was going to be gone the whole weekend, the perfect time to escape, but just a few minutes ago, he texted me saying that he'll be back tonight. I shove my secret stash of money into my pocket. It's only a few hundred dollars, but it should get me far from here.

I drop my phone onto the bed that I can't stand to look at anymore. I grab my bag and run out the front door, not looking back. Jesse's car comes into view and I fling myself behind a tree. Yanking my hood down over my face, I walk in the opposite direction from my house.

It takes me several hours before I reach a bus station far enough that I know he won't look there. I pay for my ticket, not being able to help thinking that everybody looks suspicious. If anyone looks suspicious, though, it's me. I board the bus and sit in the back. The bus leaves just as I spot Jesse's car turning into the parking lot. I crouch in my seat and only relax when I see the town sign pass by. I watch out of the window and lay my hand on the small bump that showed up recently.

I already love this baby so much.

"I can't wait to meet you,"I whisper, getting some weird looks from other passengers. I don't care though because I'm overjoyed with the thought of my baby. I don't have any resentment that Jesse is the father. Jesse is not perfect and I'm definitely not perfect, but this baby is. I will raise him/her to be a kind person and to not be like me. I've made so many mistakes in my life. If I hadn't though, I would still be that naive, rebellious girl that I used to be.

A few months later, I hold my baby girl in my arms. I can't stop looking at her. She's so beautiful with her little tuffs of brown hair on her head and those alert blue eyes.

"What's her name?"A nurse asks, smiling down at me. I turn my attention back to my little girl and say the name that I picked out.

"Emily Mitchell,"I say and they smile, writing it down. When I got married to Jesse, he let me keep my last name. I wanted it so that I would still have some kind of connection with my parents. Also, that had been around the time that Jesse had started hitting me here and there, so I was a little bitter.

"And the father?"Another, older nurse asks.

"Not around,"I tell her, my pulse racing at the thought of Jesse. The nurse gives me a sympathetic look and leaves the room. Elated at the alone time with Emily, I spend the next couple of minutes just talking to her and listening to her cooing.

"I love you so much,"I whisper and let Emily hold my finger. Jesse's face pops up in my head, but I push it down and focus on the little girl that's now my world.