“I can’t believe you just did that!” I screamed, clutching my arm where the asphalt had torn my skin. Marcus laughed, his friends joining in, like it was a game. “The coyotes will find you faster than the cops,” he sneered. My heart pounded as I stumbled to my feet, blood dripping, realizing for the first time that the man I married had become a stranger—a monster. And as I looked into the dark desert, I knew I had to fight… or die.
The cold asphalt scraped my skin as I hit the ground hard, rolling twice before coming to a stop on the side of the dark, empty road. Pain shot through my arms and legs, but it was nothing compared to the shock that froze me in place. Marcus, my husband, had just shoved me out…