His Fingers Are Thorns

The day was beautiful.

The sky was a clear and light blue, no trace of clouds anywhere should someone turn their head left and right. The gentle breeze made the almost hot temperature seem cooler, much brighter in comparison to the weather the day before. Church had just gotten out, people’s repentance for their sins accepted by God and the Holy Spirit. Parents walked along the side of the streets, carrying bags full of clothes and other daily necessities. Children chased after each other while teenagers turned their heads in disinterest, much too mature to care about mindless games.

At least, that’s what Hollie McFarland hoped the Sunday looked like.

The girl sucked in a bruised bottom lip, her brown eyes downcast as she stared at the tile floor of her bathroom. She kept her breathing steady, her heart pounding erratically in her chest, ears alert and always listening. He was walking somewhere around the house, his loud footfalls echoing off the hardwood floors of their two-story home. She hoped and prayed that he wouldn’t come closer to her -- wouldn’t find her hiding from him. He was already in a bad mood.

Hollie pulled her eyes from the tile to look forlornly in the mirror, though she didn’t need a reflection to know where he had injured her. Her cheek was red from the back of his palm connecting with her face, stinging still from ten minutes ago. Her back ached from hitting the hardwood floors too often, a purple marking in the middle where it curved from nineteen years of bad posture. Her arms hung limply at her side, long lines where his fingers squeezed too hard on her forearms. A scattering of teeth marks showed where he had bitten on her neck and collarbones, the wounds still sore from the night before.

The brunette stilled when she couldn’t hear his footfalls any longer. She held her breath, body tensed as fear went through her like rapid fire. Her eyes flickered towards the door. Please, no. No, no, no. He can’t find me. He can’t-

The doorknob twisted. Hollie’s heart exploded in her chest, beating fast and pumping anxiety through her small frame. She remained still, eyes trained on the door as it opened, revealing the man she loved with everything she had. His full lips twisted into a sinister smirk while his icy blue eyes connected with her, void of any warm emotion that, on the rare occasion, he would show her.

“There you are,” Leonardo chuckled, stepping into the bathroom and ultimately, stepping closer to Hollie. She saw the anger that rested casually behind the pupils of his eyes, the blue swirling dangerously. He swiped a pink tongue across chapped lips, raising an eyebrow in question when she took a step back from him. “Oh, don’t be like that, Hollie. I thought you loved me.”

Hollie tried to quiet her yelp when he outstretched his arm to grab her t-shirt, pulling the fabric so that she was close enough to him to where he could wrap his arm around her waist. Her eyes watered as he used his hand to yank at her long hair, ripping a few strands out in the process. Her sound of fright seemed to only make him happier, however, as he dragged her out of the bathroom by her hair.

Now in the hallway, Leonardo pinned her up against the wall, his stronger, more muscular physique towering over her petite body. Toned forearms clenched and unclenched as he wiped at falling tears, a mocking frown pulling at his features. He shushed her, his tone soft and fake, eyes betraying his facade.

“Hollie, baby,” he cooed, cocking his head to the side curiously. “why do you cry? Don’t I give you enough?”

The blonde sputtered, shaking her head from side to side as her tears rolled down her cheeks. “Leo, you- You need to-”

“I need to what?” he interrupted, inclining his head lower as he stared hard into her brown eyes. She sucked in a breath at the emotion in his voice, closing her mouth and refusing to speak any further. When she didn’t respond Leonardo straightened, nodding his head as if he understood what she had been trying to say. “Are you saying that I need help? That these, these outbursts are some kind of mental disease?”

Hollie’s mouth fell open, shooting out responses that fell on deaf ears. What was the point? Leonardo was too far gone to listen to anything that she had to say. He’d just end up twisting her words into something that she didn’t mean -- just like he did all the other times she tried reasoning with him. So she shut her mouth quickly, pursing her lips and injuring herself further as pain shot throughout her bottom lip.

Leonardo turned on her, his expression ferocious as he brought a knee up to connect with her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. He watched as she doubled over, his hand lifting her chin up so that she was forced to look at him. As their eyes connected, he smirked, eyebrows raising smugly. “Do you think there’s something wrong with me, baby girl?”

Hollie automatically shook her head, wheezing in the process.

“Filthy liar,” Leonardo spat, dropping his hand from her chin as if touching her any longer than a second burned his skin. The loss of contact made her stiffen, but it was quickly brought back in the form of a back hand as her head whipped to the side, cheek blazing. Tears silently rolled down her cheeks, but they did nothing to calm the man down in the slightest.

Leonardo grinned, revealing yellowed teeth from the countless cigarettes that he chain smoked after his beatings. He always claimed it was too much stress -- but stopping the abuse would make her reckless, and she needed to be put in her place when she made a mistake. And while the thought unnerved Hollie, it did the opposite effect to Leonardo. Because to him, the bruises and the twisted ankles and the injuries were all justifiable. They meant that she was being punished for her wrongs -- and in some disgusting way, that made sense to the brunette man.

When Hollie regained her breath, chest heaving from the force of his attacks, she stepped to the side, watching her boyfriend carefully out of the corner of her eye. His eyes flicked to the side, a knowing smirk playing at the corners of his lips, letting her step away from him, allowing her to believe that she was being stealthy. When she had reached the end of the hallway, closest to their shared bedroom, Leonardo turned around and raised an eyebrow, a dark chuckle escaping him.

“You thought you were getting off that easy? Think again, love.”

And as Leonardo strode to meet her at the end of the hall, her body thrashing as he shoved her towards the bed, their violent game of cat and mouse began once more.



“Hollie, get dressed,” Leonardo sighed, rubbing his temples with his fingers as he sat on their raggedy and worn red leather couch the day after. His words caught her by surprise, the mug of steaming coffee almost slipping from her hands. The hot liquid spilled over the cup and burnt her hand, a quiet ouch! emitting from her lips as she set the cup down on the counter closest to her. She licked the part where the coffee burned her, shaking it afterwards to try to get the stinging off.

Curiously, she looked at her boyfriend, a confused expression dancing across her face. Her thin eyebrows pulled up together to form the tiniest of creases in the middle, her thin lips tugging down into a frown. She blinked dimly, asking in a shocked tone of voice, “What?”

The look he gave her was one of annoyance. Instantly her confusion dropped, eyes staring at her sock-covered feet. “We’re meeting Amanda and Kyle for lunch. They asked a few weeks ago -- and I couldn’t do anything to get out of it. So get dressed.”

Hollie smiled, a real smile that stretched from one ear to the other, and nodded her head, limping towards her bedroom, her cup of coffee all but forgotten. When she got to her room she peeled off her pajamas, being mindful of the injuries that covered her porcelain skin. With her head turned towards the mirror she noticed that Leonardo had followed her in, stopping at the door frame. In the reflection he looked almost sad, but when she turned to face him the look was hard, his blues analytical.

“Wear something nice.” he told Hollie sharply, nodding his head in the direction of her closet. She flushed under his gaze, smiled meekly and walked towards the open closet doors. Her eyes scanned the clothes offered to her, and as she trailed her fingers across a flowing floral tank top, Leonardo grabbed her wrist, surprising her. She hadn’t even heard him travel across the room. She turned her head to look at him, lips parted just the slightest.

He gave her a cold look, tightening his grip on her. She let go of the fabric, and instantly he pulled his hand away. “Wear something that looks good on you,” he tried again, his words cruel and criticizing as he stepped away to perch himself on the edge of the bed. Silently he watched as she reached for another shirt, crimson in color and quarter-sleeved.

When she looked at him in question, Leonardo nodded his head.

Hollie sighed, slipping on the shirt after grabbing a pair of matching black undergarments. She closed the closet door and padded barefoot to the dresser. She bent over, squeaking out in pain as her muscles screamed in response. She quickly grabbed her blue jeans and pulled them on carefully, face contorting every few seconds. When she buttoned them, Hollie turned towards Leonardo, arms outstretched in display, seeking out a yes or no from him.

His chewed on his bottom lip, gaze scrutinizing as they dragged up and down her physique. The red contrasted perfectly with her fair skin, but the rest of her was dull in comparison. He pursed his lips, rubbing absent-mindedly at his chin, when he nodded his head. She seemed to be excited that she had done something correct in his mind, but he shot her down with a short, “It could be better.”

They switched places, Hollie sitting gingerly on the bed while Leonardo got dressed. He pulled on his clothing easily. She envied him from her spot, wanting to glare at him with as much ferociousness like he did, but the mirror was right in front of him. Meaning that if she made any sort of bad expression at all, she’d be feeling the pain later because of it.

Her day was already going off so well -- she didn’t want to jeopardize it with one little twitch of her lips.

When they were both ready, Leonardo grabbed his keys from the living room table and set off for the car, not waiting for Hollie. She limped after him, dark sunglasses hiding her brown eyes from revealing too much to the world around her. As she clambered into the passenger seat of his Ford, she wondered how nobody seemed to know what went on behind closed doors. She was certain that her screaming was loud enough to alert the neighbors, but then again, maybe they were too frightened to say anything.

Her thoughts clouded her head as they drove towards the small cafe, picking nervously at her fingernails. What was she going to say this time? She’d lied to Amanda and Kyle before to cover up for her injuries, and they had believed her (or so she thought, anyways). But she’d gone through all of the excuses in the book, and she was running out of reasons for her to be hurt. She thought about asking Leonardo, but decided against it quickly, knowing that asking him something that she already should’ve known would only result in anger.

When Leonardo stopped the car, he looked over towards Hollie expectantly. She sucked in a breath, preparing herself for ‘The Speech’. He’d give her the routinely scold every time they went out to a public place, and by this time she’d memorized it enough to where she could recite along with it as he spoke. She never did, of course, always too afraid of him when he acted like this.

He went on about being proper, not giving things away, no hinting about their antics at home, and absolutely no talking without him by her side. The last had always been a huge rule. He didn’t trust Hollie at all. Meaning that he kept her near him at all times. He didn’t want her to slip up and make a fool of herself. He was always there to catch her fall, maybe not in the way that she wished, but he was still there regardless.

Hollie nodded her head, following his words in time as he finished his speech. He gave her his signature hard, staring look, making sure that she knew what she was supposed to do, and unbuckled his seat belt, climbing out of his truck. She followed suit, carefully stepping down and trying not to injure herself further on her sprained ankle.

They walked inside the cafe together, holding hands as if they were a normal couple and he hadn’t relentlessly slammed his fists against her the day before. Almost right away they spotted Amanda and Kyle, Hollie’s face lighting up as they walked towards them. Kyle pulled her into a hug, too tight for her liking, then stepped back and let Amanda embrace her friend. The hug lasted for a few seconds longer than it should have, almost like Amanda knew what went on in Hollie’s life, and they finally let go of each other, taking their seats.

“Why are you limping?” Amanda asked the brunette, cocking her head to the side curiously as her eyes flickered between her friend and Leonardo.

Hollie flushed, cheeks blazing as she stared down at her hands. “I...” -- she glanced up, looking to Leonardo for guidance that he wasn’t going to give her -- “I fell down the stairs this morning after missing a step.”

Kyle made a noise in the back of his throat, eyes trained hard on the male sitting opposite him. The two shared a glare, both too concentrated on mentally dominating the other to pay attention to their girlfriends sitting uncomfortably next to them. Kyle smiled politely, breaking the glare-down and causing a swell in pride for Leonardo.

Hollie shifted in her seat, nose scrunching up. “Yeah... I fell. You know me,” she waved a hand in the air to act nonchalant, looking over to Leonardo as she spoke her next words. “I’m always falling over something.”

The look that flashed in his blue eyes was dangerous. She knew saying those words in his direction was a tricky move, especially since it broke one of his rules, but she couldn’t help it. She needed someone to know that she wasn’t happy -- not entirely. Leonardo was her living hell, always luring her in with sweet, love-filled nights, or forcing her to stay with him during his violent outbursts. Either way, she was still trapped in the relationship. He controlled every aspect of her life. It’s not like she could exactly tell someone that her boyfriend was abusive easily.

“You also don’t know when to keep your mouth shut, do you?” Leonardo answered back just as smoothly, covering up his anger with a joking laugh. He put an arm around her shoulder, pushing hard on the bruise that rested to her left. He watched intently when a look of pain came across her expression, but she covered it up the same as he did.

Hollie forced a smile onto her face. She thought that she had gotten him that time, but he was much stronger than her and could easily inflict the slightest pain if he wanted to. She was foolish to think that a comment like that could bring him down. The brunette looked back to Amanda, who sat there with the same forced expression.

Kyle cleared his throat, and the arm around Hollie’s shoulders left. “What did you think of ordering?” he asked casually, turning his attention to Leonardo.

Leonardo raised his eyebrows, licking over his chapped lips as he glanced down at the menu in front of him. “I’m not that hungry,” he replied back, shrugging his shoulders. “I had a big breakfast.”

Liar.

Hollie tried not to let her emotions show through, ducking her head into her arm as she forced out a cough. Leonardo turned to look at her curiously, putting on the concerned boyfriend look that he had mastered specifically for these occasions. “You okay, babe?” he questioned, putting a hand softly on her shoulder.

Hollie nodded her head, still forcing coughs out. When she was finished she glanced back towards Leonardo, her eyes watering. “Sorry, I think I’m catching something,” she told the table, frowning.

Amanda frowned, too. “Yeah, I heard that bug’s going around. I hope you don’t catch it.” she replied earnestly, her eyes shining sympathetically. When Hollie smiled back at her, a sigh racked through her friend. “If you’re not feeling well, we don’t mind. It’s okay, really.”

She was talking about them leaving. A frightened look flashed across Hollie’s face, whiplash hitting her as she shot a look at Leonardo. He was already grinning smugly, rubbing at his chin like he was contemplating it, when really, he had what he was going to say rehearsed. “I think that’s a good idea. I’d hate for you two to get sick.”

Kyle let out a small bark of laughter, though it died down quickly. “If you feel that you need to leave...”

Leonardo knew why he left the statement trail off. He knew that Kyle was suspicious, as well as Amanda, and the rest of their friends. It wasn’t exactly a secret that he didn’t let her see her friends or her family often. Still, he grinned back.

Two can play at this game.



Hollie let out a nervous laugh, running her sweating hands through her brunette hair. She shook on the floor, the cold tile of the kitchen making it worse as she was filled with anxiety. Her lips parted, air leaving and entering in quick progression, eyes staring at the completely burnt lasagna pan that lay fallen on the ground. She’d dropped it when she had pulled it out of the oven, the shock still marring her features five minutes later.

Oh god, he’s going to kill me.

There was no way that she could make something quick enough for Leonardo. He came home from work at six o’clock sharp, never a minute early and never a minute late. She always had dinner ready when he came home. Always. She chewed on her swollen bottom lip, breaking open a cut in the middle of them. It was five forty-nine. There was no way that she could prepare something else in such a short amount of time.

Hollie sighed out heavily, her eyes watering the slightest. No. She couldn’t cry. Not yet. If she acted like nothing was wrong, then maybe Leonardo wouldn’t mind as much. Who was she kidding? Of course he was going to mind. That still didn’t mean that she had to cry over burnt lasagna.

She picked herself up off of the floor, grabbing the fallen tray and scooping the wasted lasagna into the pan. When everything was cleaned up and the food was in the trash can, Hollie looked at the clock. Five fifty-five. She was doomed. She had five minutes to prepare herself for the royal beat-down she was going to receive.

Slowly, she walked out of the kitchen and into the living room, taking a seat on the couch. She busied herself with her hands, staring down into her lap until she heard the key turn the front door’s lock. Her breathing stopped while her heart sped up. “Here it goes,” she told herself, forcing a smile on her face just as the door to their home opened.

Leonardo’s eyes darkened at first sight of her. Her smile slipped off, mouth falling open when she looked down to find a marinara blotch on her white blouse. How could she have missed it? Foolish. She was foolish. When she looked back up, frightfully meeting her boyfriend’s gaze, she knew it was over.

“You never get anything right, Hollie.” he told her with a growl, the door closing loudly behind him. Her frail body jumped at the sound, but the door slamming was nothing in comparison to the look he was glaring in her direction. “Don’t you appreciate the nice things I get for you?”

He took one step forward. She took one back. They repeated this until she was trapped by the couch, unable to move back any farther. His lips twisted into a sinister smirk. In one simple movement, he seized her by the arm, blunt nails digging crescent shapes into her skin. And just like that, her hell had begun all over again.



“Leonardo,” Hollie whispered softly, listening to the beat of his heart as she laid her head on his tanned chest. He sighed, the air coming out of his nose. She rested a hand opposite her head, barely touching his shoulder as she let it slide across his skin. When he moved his larger palm over hers and stopped it, she closed her eyes, stilling.

She waited.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice just as soft and sincere as hers had been no less than two seconds ago. He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand, the touch inflicting no pain. It shocked Hollie, but occasionally on nights, Leonardo would turn into the normal boyfriend who didn’t abuse her every second he got. “I’m sorry that I do these horrible things to you.”

Hollie licked over her lips, her breathing steady now that she knew he was in a good state of mind. “It’s okay.” she replied, raising her head to look up at him with haunted chocolate brown eyes. His own blue eyes shone with something, but there was a deep sadness that sunk beyond his pupils that made her want to take back her words.

“It’s not, though.” -- Leonardo had to look away from her, sniffing slightly -- “You can’t... You can’t justify what I do to you. It’s not right. I don’t know why I- But I do. I know that it’s wrong. I know that I hurt you in more ways than one.”

Hollie bit down on her bottom lip, refusing to let his words get to her. She’d heard this speech one too many times, too. He always said the same sob story: He knew what he was doing, he’d try to stop it from happening again... He never did. It was always came back with the same result. She’d go to bed feeling comforted by his words, thinking he’s going to try just before she fell asleep. And when she’d wake up, everything he said would come crashing down, forgotten as he yelled at her over a sock on the ground or his breakfast not ready fast enough. And yelling led to screaming, which led to beatings, which led to Hollie crying and treating her injuries the best she could.

She still listened to him, though, wanting to hear if he changed up his speech at all.

“Hollie, why do I do this? Why am I so messed up?” he asked her, his voice sounding distant. She looked up at him again, her eyebrows raising when she saw that his bottom lip was trembling. Was he... Was he crying? That was new. That was definitely new. “You don’t deserve this. You shouldn’t have to put up with me.”

No. She shouldn’t.



Why? That was the million dollar question. Why?

Why was Hollie the one who got the abusive boyfriend? Why was she the one who had to put up with his mood swings? Why was she the one who had to treat her injuries? Why was she the one who went to bed feeling disgusted with herself that she was allowing this to happen? Why was she the one who had come into the relationship wanting something normal and easy, only to find that Leonardo was actually a sadistic and manipulative man who treated people like dirt?

Because she was an idiot. That was why.

Clutching onto her stomach tightly, she staggered into the bathroom, falling against the counter and automatically coughing up blood into the sink. The sight didn’t bother her anymore, since she’d seen too much of her blood on her hands or on the floor or in the sink since she’d gotten into the relationship. It should have bothered her. But it didn’t.

Hollie continued coughing, wiping at her mouth every few seconds only to spit up the red liquid once again. Her eyes caught her reflection in the mirror as she looked up, and she cringed inwardly at the sight. Bad thoughts filled her head, leaving a chilled and haunted look in her eyes.

Look at what he turned you into. He changed you, Hollie. You’re disgusting. You’re worthless.

She wasn’t worthless. She wasn’t disgusting. Those were lies that Leonardo told her to make her feel like shit so that his blows could hit her harder. That wasn’t something that she told herself. Shaking her head, she coughed out the last of the blood and washed the red away. She cupped a hand to bring the water up to her mouth, swishing it around and spitting it back out as the blood swirled down the drain. She repeated this a few more times, making sure that her mouth was as clean as it could get.

Sighing heavily, Hollie put the seat to the toilet down and sat on it, putting her head in her hands. She had a pounding headache, her body ached, and she was starving. She hadn’t had time to eat breakfast, and by the time lunch came around, she was already being thrown around like a rag doll. Her mistake, though. It was always her mistake.

Silently, she wondered what life would be like out of Leonardo’s grasp. What would she do in all of the time during mornings and nights, from the time she woke up to the time that she passed out in exhaustion? She could get a job. She would’ve liked a difficult job -- something that kept her mind always focused. She didn’t know what she would do if she had an easy job -- if she thought back on her horrible times with her abusive boyfriend.

A small groan fell past her lips. She needed to leave. She couldn’t stay being Leonardo’s toy any longer. She was done with everything. She needed to leave.

But when?

She had to plan it out. Hollie couldn’t just get up and leave. No, she had to wait a couple weeks, or at least a couple of days... she couldn’t wait as long as a couple weeks. No, she’d be dead by then. What day was it, again? Hollie licked over her lips, the metallic taste of blood still lingering in her mouth. Oh, right -- it was a Tuesday. If she timed it well enough, then she could leave by Friday. She’d have all of her things stowed away secretly, and then she could leave before Leonardo got home.

He wouldn’t even notice she’d be gone before it was too late.

Hollie smiled to herself, a true smile that was rare to come by. She was going to be free. She was going to be out of this hell forever. She wouldn’t have to deal with worrying about Leonardo getting upset with her, or hiding black and blue bruises from the public eye, because they’d be healing enough, and she wouldn’t have anymore fists to beat down on her constantly.

She was going to survive.



Everything was set. Hollie had memorized the train times in their small town the couple times that Leonardo had taken her out, oblivious to the fact that she was planning something so surreal. He’d noticed the change in her actions and how she didn’t seem as miserable anymore, but to him it didn’t mean anything. He didn’t care if she was happy or not -- all that mattered to him was that she stayed by his side through anything and everything.

Since her boyfriend had no idea of what was going on under his nose, Hollie had everything ready for her departure. All she had to do was pack her suitcases after trudging them from the attic, and then she’d be on her way out of Leonardo’s life forever.

And really, she’d be lying if she said that she wasn’t ecstatic about being out of his life.

Leonardo left for work at six in the morning. He worked in a large three-story lawyer office, the stories to the building going by rank. The lowest were the people who took the calls and made everyone look good by booking appointments. The second story was where you made time and money as your job for a lawyer actually required you to do the job. The third floor was the Big League, and where Leonardo was headed.

Because of his job as a lawyer, he took out the stress of work on his girlfriend, which didn’t help his whole punishment mantra he always pulled. But still, the job had its perks. Like not being able to get home until late.

Hollie let out a groan in pain, the last of the suitcases pulled down from the attic. She’d climbed up the rickety and totally-not-safe wooden staircase to even open the door that led to the attic, almost tripping up the stairs in the process as she lost her footing a good five times. Getting the suitcases was hard enough -- she didn’t need stairs to get in the way of her soon-to-be victory.

As soon as she got into her bedroom, she started throwing clothes into the suitcase. Anything that she didn’t need would be taken to Good Will, since she wasn’t planning on leaving a single thing of hers in the “home” she lived in. Still, it was packed in the extra, smaller suitcase that sat next to the larger one. Why leave things behind? It’s not like Leonardo was going to want to remember her.

After her clothes were packed, she had to go through family pictures. Generally, she didn’t have much, as they caused a distraction to her life and only made her miss everybody more. The few pictures that she did have though remained on opposite ends of the spectrum: either untouched, or completely broken beyond compare.

She stuffed both of them in the suitcase regardless.

A good three hours later, she grabbed the last of her things, suitcases lined up against the wall and ready for her departure. Hand on the doorknob and ready to twist it, Hollie paused, then turned to look at the house that she had lived in for two years. It had both good and bad memories, but most of them were the latter. The first time she kissed Leonardo remained in this house. The first time they had said they loved each other remained in this house. The first time they had talked about living their lives together forever remained in this house.

But it wasn’t enough to keep her attached. The bad outweighed the good.

The first time Leonardo hit her. The first time he called her worthless. The first time she took his then-weak beatings. Compared to back then, the hits and the kicks were nothing. He’d put a knife to her throat so many times that she’d lost count. He’d carved words into her skin, words that eventually would fade with time, leaving terrible mental scars in her mind forever. He’d threatened her life not too often, but every time he said it -- he was serious. Leonardo might’ve been cruel and the absolute worst boyfriend on the planet, but he didn’t joke about death lightly.

Apparently, the pause in minutes that it took for Hollie to go through her mental file cabinet, was the time that she hadn’t heard the lock turn into unlocked. And she hadn’t heard the door open behind her, nor did she hear the growl that left his throat when he saw the suitcases lined neatly against the wall.

When she turned back around, however, was a different story.

The memories vanished from her mind. All that flooded through Hollie was a sense of dread, a sense of complete and utter panic as Leonardo’s piercing blue eyes glared daggers through her skull. He was literally shaking from madness, his pupils dilated into tiny black dots as his eyes narrowed. Full lips turned into a scowl, the ever-growing growls not ceasing to exist even as he stepped closer to her.

“Leonardo, I didn’t hear you come!” Hollie said, surprise lacing into her words as she stared like a deer in headlights. “You... You... Why are you home early?”

Leonardo didn’t laugh while his eyes continuing to glare. “Why are there suitcases packed by the door?” he questioned, his voice gruff and void of any warmness.

Hollie flinched. “I... Vacation?”

“That you were going to go on by yourself? Is that why our home looks bare of all of your possessions?”

Crap.

“N-No.”

Leonardo breathed in, out, and then repeated it, ending his gaze by closing his eyes. At that moment, he seemed almost calm, just standing there, breathing, taking everything in while his mind registered what was going on. And then the flash of calmness was gone, replaced with such malevolent rage that Hollie nearly fell back just seeing it. He crossed the distance between them in three long strides, gripping onto her arm and connecting her face with his hand.

Hollie pulled away, clutching her face in her hands tightly as she staggered backwards and fell onto the floor, leaving a bruise on the curve of her spine. She cried out, head colliding with the hard wood, knowing the routine of his beatings already. He flung himself on top of her, straddling her waist and pinning her to the floor, his face contorted into one that she hadn’t seen before.

Leonardo had never gotten this angry over something. Not in the three years that she’d known him.

“I’ll kill you,” he seethed, his fists relentlessly pounding into her face. “I’ll kill you before you ever leave me, do you understand me? I promise you, Hollie -- I’ll kill you.”

Hollie couldn’t breathe, let alone scream as he assaulted her. His words hit home, however, letting her know that he was serious about his promise. His voice was disoriented, not really sounding like him but enough to let her know that it was still Leonardo somewhere in there. She tried putting her hands up, blocking his attacks on her, but all he did was crush her hand to the ground, breaking a couple fingers in the process.

Her cries echoed throughout the house, the pain radiating off of her as she thrashed around, trying desperately to get away from Leonardo while still being mindful of her broken fingers. She couldn’t escape him, no matter hard she tried. He had her trapped, in every sense of the word, and just like he said -- she wasn’t leaving.



Hollie made the same mistake two weeks later, the same suitcases packed with the same pictures and the same trinkets and the same clothing, just like last time. She’d re-planned the whole entire thing, deciding against leaving so late in the day. So when she set the bags in the trunk of her car, and climbed into the driver’s seat, she couldn’t have been more thrilled. Everything that she did wrong last time was made up for this.

She pulled away, feeling victorious that she had escaped the wrath of her boyfriend. The smile that embraced her lips spread from ear to ear, taking up most of her face as she hollered in the car. Yes! Yes! I’m free! The words repeated over and over in her head while she drove down the familiar streets of her town, no worries blocking her mind from taking away her happiness.

As she turned the corner to get into the lane that led to the freeway, Hollie went through her mental list of everything that she had. Then she slammed on the breaks.

She forgot the other suitcase.

She had to turn back. She had to go back and get it. There was no way that she could survive without that suitcase. Because, incidentally, the smaller suitcase was the one she decided to stuff as much money in as she possibly could, knowing that if she put it in the larger one she’d forget about it. She couldn’t just leave without cash. She had no other means of money. She had to go back and get it.

Flipping a U-Turn in the car, Hollie sped her way back towards the house she wished that she didn’t have to go back into. When she arrived and pulled onto the side, knowing that her stop was going to be relatively fast and easy, she spotted another car in the driveway, but one that didn’t belong to Leonardo.

But she didn’t listen to her better judgement. She walked into her home, unaware of the voices that sounded upstairs in the home office. As she retrieved the small and forgotten suitcase, turning around to slip out of the door easily, the suitcase hit the leg of the side table next to the couch, toppling it over with a loud bang.

Hollie’s first instinct was to drop the suitcase. Her second instinct was to pray and hope to god that whoever was in her house didn’t hear her. But that was deeming the impossible as she heard footfalls running down the stairs.

Her heart skipped a beat. Her breath caught in her throat. Everything in her screamed in protest, telling her limbs to move, to get out of there, but she couldn’t. Everything in her was still, stiff, and not cooperating with her brain in the slightest. Because those footfalls were familiar.

Those footfalls were Leonardo’s.

He screamed, standing at the edge of the stairs as he stared at Hollie’s shaking figure. “You’re dead, Hollie!”

Run. She couldn’t move. Run, Hollie!

He advanced towards her, fists at the ready. The first contact took her by surprise, which it really shouldn’t have, but she was focused on getting her limbs to knock out of their paralysis. She fell to the floor, body immobile as an enraged Leonardo spilled out every emotion into his punches and swift kicks to the gut.

Her breathing stopped, getting it knocked out of her as his foot came colliding with her stomach. Stop. she pleaded silently, the tears falling from her eyes. Make it stop. Make everything stop.

But Leonardo couldn’t hear her, and as much as he liked to think he was, he didn’t have complete control of her mind. His pounding left her rendered speechless, mouth opening and closing like a dying fish as he lifted her up by the hair. His eyes were menacing, cold, and unfamiliar to her. Distinctively, she remembered that they were once warm and void of any cruel emotion. Years ago, he was kind, and nice, and loving. Now, he was the exact opposite.

“You never learn, do you?” he asked rhetorically, cocking his head to the side as he slammed her into the nearest wall. She gasped, a small sound escaping her as he pressed his hand into her throat, thumb crushing against her windpipe. “You never seem to learn. I’ve taught you enough, haven’t I? But you don’t appreciate me at all. You never did, is what I’m thinking.”

Hollie choked against his hold, nails digging and scratching at his skin in haste to breathe again. One part of her was telling her to let him kill her, to let everything go. The other part told her to get back to safety, to leave him and the town and never come back. The other part of her told her what she wanted in her heart, but the first told her what she wanted in her head. She was psychologically messed up in the head -- who would ever want someone like her working for them?

Leonardo laughed, the sound humorless. “You’re nothing to me, you know? I’ve never loved you. I never had feelings for you. You’ve just been something for me to pass the time with. Did you know that you’re actually terrible at hiding what you’re planning? I knew you were going to leave me since the moment you thought of it.”

Hollie couldn’t mask the look of shock that appeared over her features.

“What, staring at train times doesn’t give you clues as to what you’re up to? You’re stupid, Hollie. Fucking stupid. But you know what? You’ll get what you deserve.” -- Leonardo pressed his thumb harder into her windpipe, watching as her face turned purple -- “You’ll get peace somewhere. Maybe. If you live through this, that is. Which, come to think of it...”

Leonardo tilted his head, as if he were staring at a painting in a museum quizzically. “Oh, wait... You won’t. Guess that’s just what you get.”

Hollie eventually stopped trying to pry his hands away from her throat. She was dying, and she was losing. Leonardo would end up as the winner in this game of cat and mouse. Still, the feeling of choking to death wasn’t pleasant in the slightest. Her brown eyes bulged out of her head, the lack of oxygen frightening her as her arms thrashed around wildly.

“Please,” she said hoarsely, the word barely making it past her lips. “Le-Leo... Leonar- I... Please.”

What was she pleading for? She knew the answer to that too quickly for her liking. Before, her plea was to get out of this horrible situation, to come out of this alive and happy, and to have Hollie live the fairy tale lifestyle that she wanted, far, far away from Leonardo. But now, she pleaded for death to come and take her. She wanted to die -- no, needed to die. Leonardo was right. She’d get what she deserved. But it wasn’t going to come to her in the form of a new job, a new home, or a new outlook on life.

It was going to come to her in the form of death. As Hollie let out the last breath of her life, she watched as Leonardo’s face twisted into something that looked remotely like sadness. It was hidden beneath the black of his pupils, barely noticeable but there for her to see it. Then her thrashing stopped, the breath leaving her lips in a haunted sort of groan that made the brunette drop her to the ground, hands shaking still with anger that refused to leave his body.

He stood there, breathing heavily as he tried to suppress the hate inside of him. Five minutes later, and nothing happened. Ten minutes later, and he just got angrier. When fifteen minutes had passed, Leonardo lost it.

He went on a rampage, throwing himself against furniture and breaking things along the way. He trashed his entire house, injuring himself in the process. When he came back downstairs he was feeling much better, the hate gone. All that was left was guilt at the things in which he’d done. It was enough to bring tears to his eyes.

Hollie was gone. His career was gone. His life was gone. Everything about him had vanished in that one day. Silently, he pulled out his cell phone from his pocket, dialing the number that should have been called the first time he laid hands on his girlfriend. They picked up on the third ring. Leonardo let out a sob.

“Hello, 911, what is your emergency?”

“I’d like to report a break-in. My... my girlfriend,” he took a long look at her bruised and lifeless body, refusing to tear his eyes from it. “She’s not breathing. She’s got... got scars all over her -- bruises, lots of them. A, a lot of... I, I think she was... she was murdered.”



The date was May 29th, 2013. The day was gloomy, overcast and overall bleak. By this time around, half of the town had heard about the tragic accident involving a break in and the death of Hollie McFarland. Rumors spread around town that the story was made up, that it was only a cover story for the depression Hollie had suffered for two years, and that she had killed herself. Others went saying that it was the grieving boyfriend who had killed the girl, the threat of losing his job too great to bear after a terrible case incident the night of the murder. The latter of the ‘rumor’ was true, however it was only that -- a rumor. Nobody was going to believe the accusations against him when he showed up at the funeral crying like a baby.

Leonardo stood in the cemetery, his head bowed down as tears rolled down his cheeks. The eulogy for Hollie was being spoken, but Leonardo had been the first to get up and speak in front of everyone, saying nothing but kind -- and also false -- reports of the girl he was “madly in love with”. Everyone had trusted his word. Everyone had cried when he spoke. Everyone had believed him.

Idiots.

Of course, if anyone hadn’t believed him, they didn’t say so. No, they’d wait until the proper evidence came out, stating that Leonardo Ferri was in fact the one who had been the reason behind Hollie McFarland’s horrible murder. Then he’d be locked up in jail for the rest of his life, and everyone could rest in peace. Who was to say that Leonardo would stop? He could very well repeat the events that happened.

That was the thing with him -- he was so sketchy you weren’t sure if you should trust him and get him to spill his secrets, or not trust him and hear about him the endless amounts of gossip going around.

Leonardo lifted his head when the pastor stopped speaking, turning towards the casket that people thought held Hollie’s body. Leonardo knew she wasn’t in there. She was on the table of some autopsy specialist’s lab, some old creep hunched over her naked frame, trying to figure out the how’s and why’s of her death. He could only imagine what they were thinking when they took that first glance at the brunette. He could only imagine what they were thinking when they took that first glance at him.

The pastor’s voice cut into his hearing, breaking him out from his thoughts. “Hollie McFarland, may you rest in peace.”

The closing lines were supposed to be bittersweet. They were supposed to make you feel upset that the person you loved was gone, but then also give you that hey, you still have all of these good memories about them. Which, not surprisingly, Leonardo didn’t have. So it was natural for him to not feel anything, but pretend that he did, when he walked up to the casket to sprinkle the dirt onto the casket.

The rest went by in a blur. Leonardo couldn’t tell you when he stopped paying attention to everything and when he started, but somewhere in the middle the ceremony ended, and then he was thanking everybody for coming, like he was supposed to. Just like he was supposed to be shedding tears of sadness; like he was supposed to love Hollie with everything he had. Like he was supposed to be the heartbroken boyfriend who hadn’t come back in time to find the intruder with his hands wrapped around his girlfriends throat.

Everything with Leonardo was he was supposed to this and supposed to that. But if they knew the truth about him, each and every one of them wouldn’t hesitate to kill him, too. Because he deserved to be just as dead as the girl. Because he deserved to go to hell. Because he didn’t deserve the life that he lived when he had to go through the motions day after day.

And to think, all of it started with a simple, “Hey gorgeous, I’m Leonardo.”