Jazmine was preparing dinner when she heard the door slam shut. Instantly her heart stop, Huey was home. She remembered the days when she couldn't wait for him to come home, now that he did, she secretly dreaded it. It frightened her that she didn't know what to expect, will he come home angry and beat her?

" Please don't be furious with me, " she mumbled as she promptly set his dinner on the table. She straightened and wiped down the utensils so that it was spotless as he liked. She poured a glass of red wine beside his plate because she knew he loved it this way.

"Jazmine!"

By the time she heard him call her, she jumped, nearly spilled the wine. When she heard his footsteps coming closer, She hurried towards the sink, pretending to wash the dishes. When he walked in, she didn't bother to look at him, she was afraid to look at him wrong.

"Huey, dinner is on the table," Jazmine said rapidly. She only spoke fast when she was nervous, when she was above the nervousness. She shut her eyes, afraid of his next move. She felt eased when she heard him take a seat. When she heard the sound of the plate, she avoided him, washing the same glass cup over and over again. She reminisced about the times they had dinner together, how they would talk and laugh, how he would complain when she would eat off his plate, or if she would attempt to feed him like a baby. She smiled at this thought, holding back her tears.

"Jazmine!"

She sniffed and wiped a teardrop from her eyes.

"Yes?" She said as her lips quivered.

"What are you doing?" He demanded. She didn't know whether he was upset or not, but it scared her anyway.

"I'm um, I'm, Wa-wa-wash washing the dishes?" She stammered.

"You've done that for about ten minutes now, "he said. "Come and sit, " he said calmly. Jazmin turns off the tap and dries the glass before putting it away. Then she slowly proceeded towards the table and sat down.

She felt Huey's eyes upon her, but she kept her head down, watching her fingers while playing with them. He noticed, she was biting her lower lip, fidgeting in her seat. When she grew tired of playing with her hands, she set her elbow on the table and laid her head on her hand, then she used her other hand to twirl a strand of hair.

She was extremely skittish, frightened of him, and it hurts him inside. She wasn't like this before, she didn't look at him or speak and it was rare for Jazmine not to talk. Nowadays, she only spoke when spoken to and it was all his fault. All the beating and controlling made her lose all her self-assurance.

"Jazmine" Huey said. She stumbled and stared at him. He finally saw those eyes he loved so much, those eyes that now carried so much fear, hurt, and pain, that glimmer in her eyes had vanished and replaced with deep sadness.

"Ye-ye-yes Huey," she replied with a trembling voice. He took a moment to gaze at her features. She was still the most beautiful woman he had ever known, but she didn't look the same anymore. Her hair looked messy and untamed. She had reddish bruises on her face, and a busted lip. She nonetheless still had a nice curvy figure, but Her skin did not shine in the sun, it only revealed more of her scars.

"Here," he said, getting up to fix her a plate. "You need to eat"

"But I'm not hungry" Jazmine lied. She was very hungry, but she often starved herself until he went to bed.

"Jazmine, can we just have dinner together like a normal couple" Huey said with pain in his voice. He was already annoyed that his wife had not welcomed him with a kiss and that she refused to look at him. He knew she wasn't really washing dishes, she was avoiding him and he didn't like when she did that.

" We will never be normal, " he heard her mumble, he ignored it, but it broke his heart. The truth hurts all the time. When he finished, he placed her plate in front of her and sat back down. He added more food to his plate, he couldn't help it, she made his favorite.

It was an uneasy moment of silence, as Huey ate his dinner. Jazmine kept her eyes on her plate, playing with her food.

Why won't you talk to me anymore?

Huey was the first to break the awkward silence.

"Jazmine"

"Yes?" she said, looking at him with anxiety.

"Why aren't you eating?" He asked.

As presently as he said that she picked the fork and began eating her food as fast as she could. Huey looked at her in shock as she polished off her plate less than a minute. When she finished, she wiped her mouth and picked up her plate and ran back to the sink to wash her dish.

She felt so relieved that she returned to her comfort zone, away from him. She scoured the plate clean, over and over again. She felt her back aching because she knew she was under his stare, but it didn't trouble her much. She couldn't bear to face him anymore.

Huey took a sigh and pushed his plate to the side. He lost his appetite, but wasn't the only thing he lost. As he stood, he looked at his wife who was playing pretend with the dishes. He walked towards her slowly and her shoulders tensed up.

As he got closer, she stopped moving. He heard panting and he knew her heart was pounding fast. He remembered about those days he would hold her and she would melt in his arms, but the moment he touched her hips, she shivered.

So then he removed his hands and backed away, he saw how calm she became. She kept quiet but he knew she was hoping he would leave her alone. She went on her earlier task, back to pretending.

Why can't I hold you?

He resisted for a moment, staring at her back. When he opened his mouth to speak, his words refused to come out so he did what he knew would make her feel better, he walked away feeling his heart scatter in pieces.