“Jacob I’m not going to stop seeing JC he’s my friend and a very good one at that. You two just weren’t getting a long tonight.” Erica explained as she closed the door to their apartment.

“Was I not the only at dinner tonight who saw how he was acting toward me? He was so rude? And all that stuff about being independent was just crap he just wants you in his life. Can’t you see his whole plan foreshadowing?’’ Jacob yelled as Erica listened to him on the couch.

“JC could have been a little bit more respectful tonight but so could you. The only reason he is doing this is because he cares about me and he’s my friend not because he’s trying to take me away from you. He doesn’t even have those type of feelings for me.’’ Erica lied.

“Yeah whatever! It seems like you would rather stick up for him than you own boyfriend. Like I said before you are not going to see JC again I forbid it and your not going to that college in San Francisco your going to attend a college in Orlando THAT’S IT END OF DISCUSSION!” Jacob screamed in her face.

Erica was so shocked at the way he was acting she had never seen him act like this before and this scared the crap out of her. The more he yelled the closer he shoved her against the couch.

She couldn’t believe this jerk was yelling at her like that and trying to tell her what to do. She didn’t know what he was thinking but she wasn’t going to take this crap from him.

She forcefully pushed him off of her and stood straight up in his face.

“Listen YOU OBVIOUSLY DON’T KNOW ME WELL EVEN BECAUSE NOT YOU NOT ANY ONE TELLS ME WHAT TO DO! IT’S MY LIFE AND JC IS MY FRIEND! MY RELATIONSHIP IS NOT ENDING WITH HIM AND I AM RETURNING TO MY ART SCHOOL AT THE END OF THIS MONTH! AND DON’T YOU EVER EVER TELL ME WHAT TO DO!” Erica yelled up in his face as he had done to her.

Erica’s heart stopped beating fast and slowed down.

She starred hard at Jacob and tried to read his face. He looked like he was calm but their was some other expression and she couldn’t tell what it was.

A moment past and they both just continued to stare each other down until Jacob threw his hand up and slapped Erica in the face hard.

At that exact moment Erica fell to the floor.

“Don’t you ever talk me like that you stupid slut!” Jacob yelled. Erica touched her right cheek where she had just been slapped.

It hurt like hell and she knew it would swell. Her adrenaline kicked in and she vastly stood up and kicked Jacob in his groin hard.

He fell back holding himself in pain.

“You stupid bitch!” Jacob groaned as he continued to hold himself.

“Don’t you ever touch me LIKE THAT AGAIN YOU BASTARD!” Erica screamed.

“I’m gonna kill you!” Jacob sprung up.

“Like hell you will…now get out! I don’t ever want to see you again!” Erica cried as tears started in her eyes.

“You don’t mean that I’m your soul mate remember and you said you didn’t want to lose me!” he grabbed her.

“JACOD LET GO! LET GO OF ME! LET GO OFF ME NOW!” Erica struggled in his grasp as she punched him in the chest. She used all her strength to get away from him but he was just too strong.

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” he screamed backed.

Erica knew her struggling wasn’t getting her anywhere so she kicked him in the groin once again.

As she expected he fell back and she took this chance to run for it.

Erica vastly opened the door but was stopped when Jacob grabbed her leg and pulled her to the ground.

She wasn’t giving in yet. The door was still opened.

“Somebody HELP ME CALL THE COPS PLEASE SOMEBODY I NEED HELP!’ Erica screamed and her voice carried down the hall.

“SHUT UP BITCH!” Jacob body slammed her and the wind was knocked out of her.

Jacob vastly pulled her back into the living room and slammed the door shut.

Erica was now on the ground still trying to catch her breath.

“So you think your slick trying to stand up to me? Ha it’s laughable but since you want to play so dam much let’s BRING UP THE GAMES A LITTLE NOCH!” Jacob yelled.

He jerked Erica up by her neck and punched her in the face.

Erica couldn’t take any more of this she was about to black out.

Jacob was so much stronger than her and it was very easy for him to over power her.

He than brought both of his strong hands to her neck and started to choke her slowly.

Ever so easily he would increase the tightening around her neck. Erica coughed and drew her hands on top of his. She struggled to pull them off. When that didn’t work she used her last resort in which was her legs.

She started kicking the man like crazy.

“You just don’t learn.’’ he laughed as he rammed her against the couch and he sat on top of her.

Now Erica couldn’t do a dam thing. She used all her energy that she had left to get from his grasp but nothing did any good.

Jacob noticed Erica was leaving and stopped the torture.

He laid back watching her as she regained conciseness.

Her eyes opened and her breathing somewhat returned too normal.

“Are you ready to act right?’’ Jacob looked at her.

Erica nodded knowing she was defeated.

“No I don’t think you do! You still don’t want to act right! I know what you’re going to do next as soon as I go to sleep your going to call the police on me! Aren’t you! AREN’T YOU! WELL THAT WON’T HAPPEN BECAUSE YOUR NOT GOING ANY WHERE UNTIL I CAN TRUST THAT YOU WON’T LEAVE ME OR ACT STUPID LIKE THAT AGAIN! YOUR NEVER GETTING AWAY AND I’M NEVER LEAVING NEVER!” Jacob screamed.

Jacob dragged her up and put her in a headlock.

“Jacob please stop I swear I’ll behave please don’t hurt me any more!” she cried.

“No stop lying I don’t believe you, you little slut! I’m not done teaching you a lesson!” Jacob replied and dragging her into the kitchen.

“Jacob stop please I won’t misbehave again I promise.’’ She was trying to say anything to stop him from beating her more.

“NO ONE ASKED YOU TO TALK NOW SHUT UP AND BE QUIET!” He screamed.

In the kitchen he looked around for a knife.

“WHERE THE HELL ARE THE BUTCHERS KNIFES?’’ He yelled at Erica but she didn’t speak.

Why in the heck would she tell him where a knife was so he could us it on her he must be insane! She just didn’t see this side of Jacob coming at all. He was always calm, loving, and happy. He was never angry and never ever wanted to hit her. Could it be that maybe she just wasn’t looking hard enough to realize that he wasn’t perfect. Still there had to be a reason for this maybe Jacob had been left by many women and the only way to keep them was to abuse them. It wasn’t right in her mind but it could be a possible answer. Or maybe he just didn’t respect women? Maybe this was a sure definite. Jacob could have easily lived in a home with his parents where his father beat up on his mother. It could be the real answer to this problem. Jacob never really understood or knew how to treat a woman if that was the situation. That’s all he knew and that’s all he saw and that was what he was taught. It made perfect sense especially since Erica talked about her family all the time and he barely mentioned his.

Jacob grew more furious since she wasn’t answering.

“TELL ME OR I’LL CHOKE YOU AGAIN!” Jacob squeezed her neck against his arm.

“The knifes are in the left drawer to the right of the refrigerator.’’ Erica explained.

“Good girl your learning.’’ He smiled and kissed the back of her head.

Jacob’s eyes glowed as he saw his giant selection of knifes. They seemed like wonderful toys in his eyes.

He finally took the sharpest and longest knife he saw out of the drawer.

Jacob vastly removed Erica out of his headlock and replaced his arms with the cold steel against the flesh of her neck. He wrapped his arms tight around her waist from behind and started to press the knife light into her neck.

“Now we have to negotiate some things. Now about that stupid fucker named JC you will never see him again! I forbid you and if I find out that you did I will kill him! I SWEAR TO GOD YOU’LL SEE HIS DEAD BODY ON THE NEWS! DO YOU SWEAR THAT YOU WILL NEVER SEE HIM AGAIN DO YOU?” Jacob hollered

Erica cared about JC so much and she was beginning to understand what he was saying about Jacob in the first place. She was rushing and making a mistake that she would regret for the rest of her life.

“ANSWER ME SLUT!!! ANSWER ME YOU STUPUID FUCKING BITCH!!” He sliced the knife across her neck and her blood spilled down her chest.

She cried out.

She needed JC in her life but until she figured out a way to see him she had to follow Jacob’s order.

“Yes I promise I will never see him again.’’ Erica cried.

“YOU PROMISE WHAT?’’ He pressed the steel harder.

“I promise you Jacob and I swear that I will never see JC again.’’ Erica said sadly.

“Good.’’ He sliced her again.

“NOW ONE MORE THING……………. ABOUT THAT STUPID ART COLLEGE YOU’RE NOT GOING BACK AND YOUR NOT ENROLLING YOU ARE GOING TO A COLLEGE IN ORLANDO! YOU HERE ME IT WILL BE CLOSE SO I CAN WATCH YOU! YOUR NEVER LEAVING ME ……..AND I SWEAR TO GOD THAT IF YOU TRY TO GO I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN KILL YOU AND THROW YOUR BODY IN A RIVER WHERE NO ONE WILL FIND YOU!!! I’LL KILL YOU; YOU’RE MOTHER, YOUR FATHER, YOUR SISTER, AND ALL YOUR BROTHERS! NOW PROMISE YOU WON’T GO TO THAT COLLEGE! PROMISE ME DAMMIT!” JACOB screamed at the top of his lungs.

“I’ll never go back to San Francisco to my art college I’ll stay here and never leave you. I’ll attend a college close to home.” Erica finished.

“Good girl now that wasn’t that hard? I’ll take care of everything with your school in San Francisco tomorrow and tomorrow night I’ll bring home some college brochures and we can find a school for you together.” Jacob kissed her head again and he finally released his grip on her.

“Ok.’’ He replied.

“Ok.’’ Erica got out

“Oh yeah and one more thing.” Jacob replied as he went to clean the knife in the sink behind them.

“From this moment I own you. You got that I own you. You no longer are independent and listen to your feelings and all that crap. I am your brain now. You no longer think you are stupid I think for you. I make decisions for you. I decide what you do, where you go, what you wear, and how you act. Your nothing now and no one wants you any more. You belong to me. I’m the only one who can put up with your crap. Ha you think JC would want a slut like you? You’re insane and stupid you’re not good enough for any one not even me. I’m just being nice and taking care of your ass. You never talk back and you always follow my rules. You never raise your voice and you certainly never try and hit me. You never speak unless you need to ask me for permission for something or I acknowledge you. Remember I am your family now. You will only love me no one else. You will give me anything if I ask even sex! You got that. And you never tell a soul about what I do to you. When you are out of this apartment you act like we are happy and in love. If I find out that someone knows about what I’m doing I’ll kill him or her and you DON’T want to know what the consequence will be for you. You have no friends now I am your life and your entire screwed up world revolves around me no one else. I own you! Remember that you stupid wench! You are nothing you don’t deserve happiness and your lucky that someone like me does love you because if I wasn’t here you’d just be another pathetic bum on the street. You are my slave. You’re my bitch my own personal hoe! Never forget what I’m saying to you now because this is the truth and you know me well enough to understand that I don’t lie. Now tomorrow we start off fresh.” Jacob pushed by Erica.

“Erica I only do this because I love you.” he smiled at her

She just stood their not responding. Still Jacob knew she heard his ever word and understood.

“I’m going to bed. Go clean up for goodness sake you look like a piece of shit.” Jacob walked into the bedroom.

Erica jumped as she heard the door slam.

Erica gulped trying to catch her breath.

She brought her hand up to her neck and felt the wound.

She was still bleeding but it was nothing that she had to get rushed to the hospital for. Although the scares and the wounds were still deep she had to get herself cleaned up.

She looked like a complete mess. Her body ached and she knew that she had browses all over. She was surprised that she could even stand. If she felt like shit and looked like shit as Jacob had said before she would feel even worse in the morning.

Tears glossed over her eyes once again. Her legs grew weak and she fell to the floor. She covered her face in pain and couldn’t understand why this was happening to her?

Why was God treating her like this? Why was he punishing her? She thought she was a good person. She went to church, was baptized, tried to follow her parents rules, and thought she was a kind person, she always helped any one who was in need, she stayed in school, never abused her body, loved her self, wanted to go to college, she worked hard, had good grades, and she was a virgin and was going to continue to be like until she was married. Still she didn’t understand.

She loved Jacob so much. She thought he was her soul mate. Everything was perfect for a while her life seemed to be all right and nothing was wrong. Yet tonight that changed. She had lost the love of her life and she had lost JC. He probably hated her for listening to Jacob. She had no way out and no one could ever know the pain she felt inside and outside.

These words continued to run through her mind, “It’s going to be alright just give into Jacob a little and he’ll turn round he loves you it’s just hard for him to show it. He’ll come around he does love you he does want to respect he just has to learn how. If you stay with him you can show him. He is your soul mate your true love don’t leave him he’s all you’ve got. No one else wants you and can love you like he can. Give him a chance.’’

She couldn’t leave him not even if she wanted to. She sounded insane and crazy but she wanted to try to help him. He didn’t mean to do what he did? Did he? Even if he did half off her wanted to run away and kill herself right than and there because the days that would lead after this didn’t make her want to live any longer. She foreshadowed that this would only get worse not better. Yet the other half that was slowly winning and consuming her told her to stay because she couldn’t survive without him. She was nothing without him and he was her strength. The other half told her it would get better.

Erica was so confused and she felt like she was dying inside as she lay there on her cold floor sobbing.

She didn’t love herself any more and she knew now that the way she looked in which was disgusting that no one would want her. No one would love her. Not JC not any one just Jacob. That was the best that she could get.

She was slowly turning into someone that she didn’t recognize she was no longer herself. But she hated herself. She was ugly, disgusting, fat, stupid, worth nothing, was a bum, and had no purpose on this earth but to serve Jacob.

And that was exactly what she would do.

“I am nothing but a slave.” These words uttered from her swollen lips.

”I’m am nothing.’’ She muttered slowly and repeated it until she finally brought her self up to get cleaned up. Still the words chanted back in her head.

“I am nothing.’’

continued