Trigger warning for abuse/violence.

Tears stung at Lysa's eyes.

The rain had stopped falling, leaving only a purple tinged sky above her head.

She pulled up her speeder in the landing dock just a block away from her tiny apartment.

She didn't even remember getting here. Her thoughts solely on what had just happened back at Din's.

Right now she felt utterly conflicted. Longing for the Mandalorian with every fibre of her being.

But she was with Crix. She had a duty to be faithful to him, no matter what.

Tonight Lysa had thought for a moment that Din had been about to tell her that he felt the same as she did.

But it was obvious now that he didn't feel the same.

Lysa could have kicked herself.

She had been so stupid to think that someone as kind and as brave as Din Djarin would ever want someone like her.

She was just some baker. For a man who travelled the Galaxy to want someone like her, over all the other people out there…was just impossible.

Crix had told her for years that she wasn't good enough, and for a time she had believed he was wrong. Believed that she was more than just a shadow in the dark. But maybe he had been right all along.

Din Djarin could get on his ship and leave. See the stars Lysa so longed for.

What would he ever find interesting about someone like her?

Lysa gave sniff, hopping out of her speeder.

In all her rush to leave Din's, she had forgotten her cloak, and was now damp and freezing cold.

She hurried quickly down the dark and eerie street toward her home, her mind still on the tall Mandalorian.

Her heart aching as she thought on how she had felt with him. How close they had stood, just armoru between them…

But she cursed herself.

She had to stop.

She had Crix. And she loved him. Didn't she?

Lysa couldn't deny that she had felt a strong love for Crix once upon a time. When they were younger, happier, had friends around them, jobs they could go to, hobbies to unwind with.

But over the years Crix had changed from the man she had known when they first met, to someone bitter and angry.

Furious at the world for denying him the wealth and status he so obviously deserved. Despite doing nothing to facilitate it himself.

These days he shouted to all who would listen about how he was denied things, angry at others who apparently didn't deserve them as much as he did. And often, the only one there to listen had been Lysa. Soaking up that fury and bitterness in the form of a left hook or abusive words.

But when that had first happened, Lysa had told herself it was a mistake, that Crix had never meant it to happen. And he had apologised to her…back then.

Lysa had even tried to leave once.

But Crix had somehow convinced her to stay, telling her things would be better in the next place. On the next planet. Telling her that he loved her over and over.

But the more they moved, the worse it had gotten. For every time Lysa had begun to settle somewhere…start to make friends…then Crix would soon get angry, jealous and would move them away.

Soon Lysa had been forced to rely on him alone, having no friends, no family to talk to.

Sometimes now she felt completely alone in the world.

So when Crix got angry. Hit her, hurt her. Lysa convinced herself that it was her fault.

That if she just tried harder, she could be better…for him.

That maybe, if she was a better person, he wouldn't need to take it out on her so much.

That it was all her fault for the things he did to her.

Because without him, who was she?

Arriving at the rusted door to her tiny apartment, Lysa gave another sniff, heading inside.

But she stopped suddenly, her blood running cold…to see that all the lights were on inside.

Crix was home.

She swallowed hard, just inside the entrance to their living quarters, swiping quickly at the tear tracks that lined her face. Trying to hide any traces of the fact that she had been crying.

He wasn't supposed to be home yet.

He had told her he was going to be at the Cantina until late, that was the only reason Lysa had stayed out beyond sundown.

It took her a moment to hurriedly compose herself, knowing that Crix would have heard the door opening and would be wondering what she was doing.

And so, fixing a smile to her face, she entered the room to see Crix sat back in a chair by the fire, a drink in his hand and his legs splayed widely.

His hair was slicked back, his long tanned face, sharp and pointed. He was dressed in a black leather tunic. His usual garb for going out to the Cantina with his buddies.

But Lysa avoided his eye, merely heading across the small room to their kitchenette.

"I wasn't expecting you home 'til late," she said conversationally, trying to keep her voice steady. But inside heart was pounding, her fingers trembling as she unbelted her tunic, pulling it from her shoulders.

She still felt damp from being out in the thunderstorm, but her green vest beneath was mostly dry.

For the longest moment, Crix didn't answer, and it was only when Lysa chanced a glance his way did he finally say anything.

"So…you gonna tell me where you've been?"

He sounded angry.

Lysa gave another hard swallow, her mouth now completely dry. She knew what this was leading to…all she could do now was try and prevent it from escalating.

"I was just finishing off a couple of deliveries," she said lightly.

It was the truth.

But all the same, Crix's face expression remained dark and unreadable.

"Where?" he bit instantly.

Lysa paled.

"N-Nowhere," she replied quickly, trying to sound reassuring.

She worried about where this conversation was headed.

Was she that transparent?

"We'll you must have been somewhere…" Crix muttered in a cold voice.

Lysa felt numb.

"It was just a customer…out in the lava flats," she said promptly, trying to remain calm.

"The Mandalorian?" uttered Crix in a sudden dark and deadly voice.

Lysa felt her chest rise and fall hard, but right now her breath felt non-existent.

She felt terrified. More than she had been in a long time.

"I-" she managed to breathe, her eyes wide, flicking this way and that over Crix's sharp features, tears swimming back into her eyes.

But to her terror Crix gave a shallow laugh, taking a long sip of his drink- a dark brown liquor- before slowly rising to his feet and walking towards her.

He wrinkled his nose, a foul smirk playing over his face.

"What? A Mandalorian comes to our door and you don't think I would look him up?" he murmured in a dangerous, simpering tone. "You don't think I would look up exactly where he lives or who he lives with."

His final words were pointed, and Lysa suddenly felt like all the air had been pushed from her body.

Her mind going instantly to Grogu. Sweet, innocent Grogu.

Lysa loved him dearly, the warmth of him as he cuddled into her, stirring every motherly instinct she never knew she had.

"No," she lied, though she feared her face had already revealed the truth to Crix. "It wasn't the Mandalorian, I-"

But before she could say another word, Crix's grinning face had changed to an expression of pure venom right before her eyes.

He gave a furious roar and flung the glass in his hand against the whitewashed stone wall to the left of the fireplace.

Lysa flinched back, blinking several times at the sound of breaking glass and the sight of the dark brown liquid dripping down the wall.

But Crix merely stared at her, his gaze fixed and hard looking.

"Well," he said in a poisonous tone. "You gonna clean that up?"

Lysa gave another difficult swallow, nodding hurriedly, moving off to the kitchen.

She wanted to run…

…to scream…

But she knew it would do no good.

It would be over soon.

And the sooner Lysa did what she was told the better it would all be.

With trembling hands she pulled out a dustpan and a stiff broom from the closet, before turning back to Crix.

But she avoided his eyes, instead getting down onto her hands and knees and beginning to sweep up the shards of broken glass.

But she had barely been there a second when she felt Crix's sudden hand clamp around the back of her neck hard, one of his fingers knotting around her hair.

She let out a small yelp of pain, before suddenly she was shoved forwards, until her face was just an inch away from the ground…

…the pointed ends of the shards of glass a mere breath away from her eyes.

Lysa gave a terrified whimper, trembling like a leaf, as Crix gave her another hard tug but kept her face where it was, his grip tightening against her skin.

In a moment Crix's hard face was beside hers, as he crouched at her side, teeth bared like an animal.

"The next time you lie to me," he spat. "Then that Mandalorian…I'm gonna kill his kid. Right in front of him."

And with that, he gave Lysa one final shove, before letting go of her, getting to his feet stiffly.

Lysa gave a muffled sob, tears dripping from her eyes, as she remained kneeling there, gaze fixed to the floor, lifting her face away from the glass in desperate relief.

But it wasn't over.

For Lysa had barely had a chance to take a breath before Crix let out another furious roar, his foot meeting bluntly with her ribs.

She gave a yelp of pain, falling onto her side, the broken shards of glass cutting into her skin.

But Lysa could do nothing but sob, as Crix drew his foot back for a moment, before it met with her ribs and back again…

…and again…

…and again.

Until finally he was done. Tired out and bored of looking at her.

Leaving Lysa in a heap on the floor, silently weeping, and clutching at her cut and bruised body.

All hope of ever escaping this cruel life, now seeming completely impossible.

Thanks to J-James, MsRosePetal, chipiam, ReRe00, Lockheart96, aprilkay7, Guest, smichale and HipCheckChick for reviewing the last chapter.

I hope that was ok - it was a tough chapter to write.

Please review!