"one, two, three, four …" she counted to herself; slowly when he'd taken time to yell rather than hit, and faster whenever his palm touched her already reddened skin, "five, six, seven." he always stopped, but only when most damage has already been done, her eyes swamped with tears and the love for him mostly gone. countless times she ended up in ER, slowly running out of good reasons when they asked about all the bruises … but naturally he always found his way back into her life by buying her flowers or doing something equally sweet. not this time though, not this time. she was sick of having her ass beaten day by day (or weekly when he's had a good month), so when he turned around to grab his hair and yell some more, she stood up … stood up on her shaky legs and did what she should have done ages ago.

"i hate you. did you hear me? i fucking hate you," she now took a couple steps back, feeling around the counter trying to grab onto something she could possibly hurt him with, but her words apparently sufficed. she's never stood up for herself before and it obviously took him by surprise, a stinky drunk that he was. "i'm done being your punching bag, francisco, i can't do this anymore. we're not good together, we never were. it's just torture, you keep vanishing and when you come back you're all weird and shit, i can't okay, i can't be with you." now she wasn't saying he was satan's offspring, not at all. he had good days, he often said he loved her and he could be a real gentleman, but no necklace was enough to erase the bad stuff. no trip to italy, nothing, she was done and she was done for good. "you'll be sorry. you know you can't live without me, kate, you're an ungrateful whore, that's what you are," was the last thing she's heard him say after closing the door on him and putting an end to all the crap she's been dealing with.


for a long time fear and doubt literally ate her inside out, they crippled her, and overwhelmed her to the point where she was losing herself, because she was so afraid of what might happen if he came back into her life. but he didn't and eventually she moved on. she got married and as much of an ass dom could be … he was never that to her. never.