Thank you so much for your kind reviews to my last chapter! I hope you enjoy this one as well and please keep giving me feedback and letting me know how much you're enjoying this! :)


Addison took a steadying breath, slowly starting to peel off the remnants of her emerald green dress and turned her head up to look at herself in the mirror. The bathroom lights were still off, but her half-concealed face reflected in the shadows like a ghost- her eyes looked haunted. Her chest was covered in purple bruises that formed a butterfly across it, spreading around to her back which felt just as sore. Scratches adorned her arms and her face where her makeup had been. There were thick black circles under her eyes, but she wasn't sure if that was from being hit or from the drugs.

Addison decided it was from the drugs.

The drugs. She remembered the prick in the top of her arm as the unknown man wrapped his hand around her and sure enough, after a few moments of uncomfortable stretching and twisting, she located a puncture mark.

Damn it. He'd injected her. Somehow that felt worse than just being spiked. It wasn't like she could throw it up and clear the toxin from her body, she had to go to a hospital.

But did she?

Yes, she knew she should go to the hospital, but she wasn't feeling any adverse effects that wouldn't have been expected from any sedative. She pushed it to the back of her mind: one thing at a time.

Addison stepped into the shower, turned the temperature and water pressure up to the maximum and stood under the pounding water. It soothed her, the hammering droplets on her skin, helped to ground her. Her hands ran over her body, finding new cuts and bruises and dirt marks and god knows what else with every stroke that she ignored, letting the water wash it away with her vanilla scented shampoo and conditioner. She scrubbed at her body with an exfoliating scrub, the gritty feeling of it providing another source of relief.

Addison wasn't sure how much time passed while she was in the shower. She stayed in it until the whole tank of hot water had completely gone and padded out shivering, wrapping a towel around her dripping body. The clock on her dresser read 6.13, meaning she had two hours before her shift started at the hospital, where she decided she would steal away to check her vitals and run a few key labs just to make sure she was ok. She felt a pang of guilt about not having an exam, but pushed the thought aside for now. She still had at least twenty four hours to make that decision.

Panic threatened to take hold of her at the thought of having to turn to and do her job, to have to act as though nothing had happened when it so clearly had, but Addison had no choice. She could let people know, she just couldn't, especially Derek and the slutty intern (belittling Meredith felt good right then and she decided she deserved some way of making herself feel better). Derek already thought she was a whore and, even though deep down she knew it wasn't her fault, she couldn't help but think that if only she hadn't been so drunk thinking about Derek leaving her. If only. If only. She shook her head- she had to pull herself together. She had to be better than this. She was better than this. Addison Montgomery didn't let any man get the better of her, and she wasn't going to let this one either.

Addison got up, running a brush through her hair before beginning to blow dry it, deciding to leave it down to act as a curtain over her battered face. Next was the makeup, which had to be both subtle enough so that no one would notice she was wearing so much, and provide enough coverage to hide the bruises and scratches. Foundation but no blush. Concealer but no contour. Mascara but no eyeshadow. Small pieces of the puzzle that, put together, created a calm, composed image of herself. Addison baulked flicking through the dresses in her closet, frowning at the tight fits and low necklines and short skirts. Had she been asking for it last night? She shook the thought from her mind, opting for her go-to interview outfit: black tailored pants and a pretty blouse. Not too tight and definitely not too revealing. With the pussy bow at the neckline, long pants and her white coat, Addison knew she would be safely hidden from the world, and all she had to do was keep the rest of the evidence of the torment in her head, away from prying eyes.

How hard could it be?