1 PROLOGUE

Lazy Saturday, Dara and her children were all in her bedroom when Eric comes home. He walks straight away to the bathroom as usual. Dara tries to say hi, "Hey, you're home early." Eric doesn't answer. Dara tilts her head in confusion seeing his reaction, "Is there anything wrong with him?" She says to herself but doesn't move anywhere and just stays with the kids.

They have been playing cards and the one that loses has to be lined on the face with flour. Bethany teams up with Dara because she's just too little to think about the cards. All three of them have messy white lines on their faces and they were busy laughing when Eric comes out from the bathroom, saying in a firm tone, "I'm tired, can you all turn your voices down a bit?" And walks away to his bedroom.

Well, kids are just kids. They have fun and laugh no matter how often Dara shushes them up. Dara decides to close the door to mute the voice a bit. She walks towards the door and pushes it slowly when suddenly Bethany screams, "You cheat!! You cheat, you cheat you cheat!!! Argh!!!"

Dara startled by Beth's voice and raises her finger to her lips. Tries to warn her to stop screaming. But it was too late, Eric hits the door behind her and it crashes onto her body. Dara yelps, the kids freeze in shock. Eric walks in and approaches Bethany, gripping her little arm, and with a low but gross voice, he says, "Bethany, daddy said daddy is tired, turn your voice down. Why did you scream instead?"

Dara widens her eyes in shock, can't believe what she just saw. She walks on and grabs his other hand, pulling it harshly, turning him to face her. "Get. your. hand. off. of my baby. Now." Dara says fiercely with anger on her face and a tight twisting grip on his wrist. Her fingernails dip into his flesh.

"Now, Eric." Dara firms her tone. Eric lets his hand off of Bethany and stands tall in front of Dara, looking down at her. Eric is a tall and quite muscular young man, and Dara is a petite younger woman, a lot smaller than him. It's a battle between David and Goliath.

They both freeze. Dara starts her words, sending a warning to Christian, "Christian, close your eyes and cover your ears with your pillow." Christian immediately does as he was told and Bethany still freezing with tears on her white flour-lined face.

Dara remembers exactly one of the lessons that she had been taught from Master Alec, about children, and she always keeps that in mind. She has to protect her son's sight and hearing, that is not to ever learn about the abuse that a man can do. And she has to show her daughter how to fight an abusive man, both verbally and physically.

Eric pushes her to the wall and pins her with both of his hands beside her head, "What are you trying to do, huh? Challenging me? HUH?!" His breath is hot with anger, but Dara knows she has to protect her children. "You're going crazy, Eric." She said it calmly but firmly. He starts to poke her head with his hand, which Dara hates the most in her life. 

She clenches her eyes, feeling her heart hammering behind her chest. And there it goes, her fist flings up, out of nowhere, to Eric's jaw. It's not as powerful as a boxer punch though, but at least it's enough to surprise him for a few seconds before he drags her out of her bedroom to his and throws her onto the bed, leaving the kids alone in fear.

***

Dara comes out with a bleeding nose and lips, walking towards the bathroom for washing. She licks the wound from her ripped skin. She can't remember what was happening in Eric's bedroom. She can only recall how he threatened her when he threw her onto the bed and slapped her on the face again and again. But why does she see a lump on her temple? 

Dara stares at her reflection in the mirror, frowning and thinking. "Ah!" She remembers that her head hit the bedpost when he threw her down for the second time.

"I wish you were here to save me, Master Alec," she whispers to herself and starts to cry.