Chapter 1 - Handcuffs and Hidden SafeThe click of the steel handcuffs locking around Derek’s wrists was the sweetest sound I had ever heard. The cold linoleum floor pressed against my burning ribs, but for the first time in six months, the air in my lungs felt entirely my own.
Officer Grant Miller didn’t flinch as Derek thrashed and cursed, his face turning a deep, venomous purple.
"You're making a mistake! She's a manipulative liar! She planned this!" Derek roared, spitting toward the doorway as Nurse Callie kept a gentle, stabilizing hand on my shoulder.
Dr. Amelia Rhodes stepped forward, holding out her tablet. "Officer, every second of that assault was recorded by our hallway camera, and the exam room door has an automatic audio log. Furthermore, I have documented extensive signs of physical and psychological abuse during her examinations over the past three months."
Derek froze. The wild, manic bravado drained right out of his eyes, replaced by a sudden, chilling panic. He knew what those medical records meant. They didn't just document a slap; they documented a pattern.
As they dragged him out past the waiting room—where patients stared in open-mouthed shock—Officer Miller knelt beside me.
"Can you stand, Madison? An ambulance is on the way, but we need to secure your immediate safety. Does he have keys to your belongings, or a way back into your living space?"
May you like
I wiped the blood from my lip, tasting copper and bitter freedom. "He has the master key to the house. My stepmother... she gave him total control after my father died."
Miller’s expression hardened. "Not anymore. Let’s get you checked out, because Derek Vance is about to find out that a police station isn't a family living room."
