(6 months later)

I'm leaning against the wall, with tears flowing down my face, as I dry them with a scrunched up paper towel. The insults that he threw at me last night are ringing in my head like church bells. The wounds from the insults are refusing to heal, leaving me with pain that's lasted all night. I'm taking deep breaths in between to help calm myself from the insults that are tearing through my heart slowly.

The bathroom light is shining on my face, with the areas moist with tears looking like someone had just polished my face with a layer of wax. Even though he's still fast asleep upstairs, I feel like my sobbing is going to wake him up and drag him downstairs to punish me even more.

I can't forget last night, where he peacefully went to sleep, while I proceeded to cry myself to sleep. Even after I woke up, the insults were still fresh in my mind, like someone had carved it there with a hot needle. I can't get them out of my head, no matter how hard I try. Those insults carve their way into your heart, and they stay there.

It's a scar that's a reminder of the pain that I endured throughout the whole experience. Eventually, after I have no more tears left to cry, I figure the only way to get my mind off of things is to cook for Colin. After all, I do enjoy cooking, and it's practically the only thing that can take my mind off of things at this moment.

Any cooking is good, but morning cooking is the best when Colin isn't yapping in my ear. Before stepping out, I take a deep breath, and step outside so that I can calm myself before cooking. Stress and cooking is like putting Bellatrix Lestrange and Harry Potter in the same room.

When I get to the kitchen, I subtly take out the ingredients to make Colin's breakfast. I fight the urge to run out, find some rat poison, and slip it in his food so that I'm rid of my misery. I think about how I won't have to deal with him again, and that I'll be free once more. I shake my head and snap out of it. Stop it, you're not risk getting arrested for attempted murder, I think to myself. 

 While I cook some breakfast, Colin comes downstairs, whistling a tune under his breath.I don't make any eye contact with him, as he continues to make his way into the kitchen for some breakfast. "Good morning," I mutter, as I continue to monitor my cooking. My breath starts to intensify as he enters the kitchen slowly.

"Good morning," he says in his usual voice that is as cold as a carton of ice cream. My heart beat starts to rapidly accelerate as well. In the mornings, depending on his mood, I could either be left alone, or he could unleash all his anger on me right now. It really depends on his mood during the day.

After he sees me cook, he lets out a little sigh, and he goes to the dining room to probably check his emails or do some office work. The weight that's on my shoulders every morning is lifted off. I relax a little bit, and continue to cook the food that I'm working so hard to make. When it's done, I put it on a plate, along with some coffee, and I take it to Colin, who's aggressively typing something.

I set it down in front of him, and his eyes, which are glued to the screen, don't shift to see the meal I cooked for him. "Cool," he mutters under his breath, as he continues to type on his computer. I give a little eye roll, and I go back to cook my own breakfast. Two slices of toast, some eggs, and some coffee are more than enough to get me started for the day.

I gobble up my food as fast as I can, like I'm running late for a meeting and missing it risks my job as a whole. When I finish up my breakfast, I start to do the dishes, and while I'm doing them, the reminder hits me. Ash is coming over today to discuss something with Colin. He's been bugging him to help him get it done so that he can just get this whole process done as fast as he can.

I know he's been sitting on it for a while, so Colin invited him over to get it done with. Honestly, I think Colin's reasoning is to get it done with so that he won't have to see Ash again anytime soon.

It kind of sucks, because Ash is one of the few people who has been so nice to me throughout the marriage. I try not to let that thought nag me throughout the day, because the last thing I need is more things to stress me out.

When I finish my breakfast, I place my plate in the sink, and start to scrub it clean with the sponge and dish soap. Colin places his plate in the sink, where I scrub it clean as well. While I'm washing the dishes, Colin trots back upstairs, probably to take a shower. I keep washing the dishes, and cleaning up around the kitchen so that it's pretty much spotless.

Not only is he an abusive prick, he's also a neat freak. Something where I can actually reach a level of satisfaction in his books. After cleaning up the kitchen, I go upstairs to take a shower myself. The sound of running water is absent, which makes me a little bit alarmed. He's usually in there for quite some time, before coming out of the shower to either go to work or have a few drinks before that.

When I get upstairs, I walk towards the end of the room, where the closet is, so that I can pick out some clothes to wear. While I'm picking out my clothes, I hear the bedroom door slam shut, and the lock click. The lock click is like the snip of scissors that cuts my heartstrings and sends it plummeting down to the depths of my stomach.

"Come out," Colin growls, which causes me to squeeze my eyes shut. Fear is already starting to go haywire inside of me. I bite my lower lip, and slowly step out to face the oncoming storm. I face Colin, who's fresh out of the shower. He's only in a towel, with his hair still wet and somewhat unruly.

His threatening eyes travel all over my body, slowing down over certain parts. His breath is heavy and erratic, as his eyes never stop moving all over me. My heart is racing out of my chest, but my feet remain planted to the ground. Slowly, he starts to come towards me, while the expression on my face doesn't change. When he comes face to face with me, a smirk runs across his face.

At that moment, I don't think about anything else. Only one word comes across my mind. "Run," I think to myself. His smirk is like acid that dissolves any form of self control I have right now. Immediately, I bolt past him, and make my way to the door. I twist the lock and yank the door open. I take a few steps out of the room, but not before strong arms engulf me.

The grip is so strong that it prohibits me from taking any further steps. My steps are reversed, and I'm dragged back into the room. The door is slammed once again, and the lock clicks. This time, the click represents the sound of my doom flicking on the light switch to enter my emotions and the scenario.

*********************

All traces of blood are merging with the water and flowing down the drain. My newly bloodied nose and the scratches all over my body make it look like I was part of a really bad brawl in the middle of a dark alley.

The tears flowing out of my eyes are also going down the drain. The emotions that were eroded off of my heart join them, as well as any sort of self dignity that I may have possessed for myself. My heart feels like someone put it through a spice grinder. What's left is just fine dust that I don't see picking itself up again.

I'm swallowing back bits and pieces of the lump in the back of my throat that's slowly disintegrating. The heat from the water is almost the same as the tears that are flowing down my face. The water also does no help in soothing my bruises, which I'll need concealer to cover up, of course.

Eventually, I don't find the need to have the shower wash away my sorrows, and I step out. I dry my hair with a towel, and dry my entire body with another one. I bring out my outfit, which is just a plain top and jeans. I comb out my damp hair, after blow drying it, and I make my way downstairs to prepare myself for Ash's arrival.

When I get downstairs, I hear a, "Hey." I'm startled, and I jump as a result. I look over at who said it, and surely enough, Ash is sitting there. He's wearing a dark grey, buttoned up shirt, with black pants to go with it. His hair is neater than usual, like he actually succeeded in combing it. I give him a smile, and a surprised look.

"Ash! I didn't think you'd come this early. Oh gosh, how long have I kept you waiting?" I ask, as I walk over to the table. While Ash waits there, my heart beat starts to slowly accelerate. The thought of, "Okay, it's just your hot and amazing brother in law. Nothing's going to happen. But, you're still going to freak out inside because it's Ash for gosh's sake," runs through my mind as I go to greet him.

Ash chuckles a little bit, as I go in for a somewhat loose hug. "I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have scared you. It was a bad move on my part, for sure. But I have the key, and I didn't want you to come all the way downstairs when I had the key and could've let myself in. I then saw that you weren't here, and I decided to wait. I didn't realize you were upstairs. So, I'm really sorry. If it makes you feel any better, you didn't keep my waiting for too long. Maybe 5 minutes," he says, as he lets go of me. I shake my head.

"No, it's fine. You just startled me. And I'm glad I didn't keep you waiting for too long,."

He sits down. He straightens up the documents a little bit. "Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea?" I ask.

He smiles at me. "Water is fine, thanks. I hate tea."

I go into the kitchen. "I thought I was the only one! I always thought tea was disgusting. It tastes so... weird, I guess. I prefer coffee for sure."

He nods. "Right? Like, my dad loves tea, and he just looks at me really weirdly when I say I hate it."

I bring him his water. "My dad too. My brother and sister love it, and then they say that I'm weird for hating it."

He takes the glass, with a sweet "Thank you," attached to the gesture. He sips his water, as I take a seat right next to him.

"So, how are you doing as a whole? How's your dad and your step mom doing?" I ask.

He sets down the glass, and smiles. "They're okay. I promise. And I'm doing fine. It's kind of cold out here, so I'm just spending more time alone, binge watching some TV."

I take his glass to put in the sink. "First of all, more water? And second of all, what are you watching lately?" I go to the kitchen.

"No, thank you though, and I'm watching Stranger Things and Shadowhunters."

I raise an eyebrow as I place the glass in the sink. "Shadowhunters? I didn't know that. Is it good? My friends in high school told me it was really good." I come back into the room.

He nods. "Considering I've been binge watching it, it's pretty good. Crazy thing is, there's a character in there who looks exactly like me."

I tilt my head a little bit. "No way," I say. I'm trying to pay attention, but in reality, I'm so focused on Ash itself. His brown eyes, his sweet smile, and his perfectly messy hair. The features are like a huge potion that attracts me. However, when you throw his golden heart in there, it's like someone is trying to handcuff me to him. I can't seem to break away from him. Something about him is just so charismatic and charming, and I can't take my eyes off of him.

"Yeah. His name's Alec Lightwood. Like, the resemblance is uncanny," he tells me, as I realize that I'm kind of staring at him. He's probably going to think I'm weird now. Great.

"I have to check that out. I want to see how uncanny the resemblance is for myself," I say, and his hands go from in his lap to onto the table, folded.

"Now, tell me about yourself. I want to know about you. How are you feeling? Is everything going okay?" he asks. This is the part where I really resist to just break down and tell him everything I've been going through. I just want to let it out. I want to tell him that I'm not happy. I'm being treated like a servant, and I'm nothing more than Colin's servant and toy. I want to collapse into his comforting arms and sob to him for the rest of the night about it. However, I can't. I just can't.

Colin would strangle him with his own hands if Ash knew about the secret. Colin's already on the verge of doing it on a daily basis, despite the fact that Ash has done nothing wrong and is actually trying to salvage the relationship.

So, before I lose my composure, I just take a deep breath, and say, "You know? I've been feeling a little bit under the weather. I don't know, I just don't feel like myself lately. Something's not right," I say, and immediately, his look turns into one that is filled with sympathy. He adjusts himself in his chair, and he looks deeply into my eyes. His lips are a thin line from being pursed together.

"It's probably just the weather. I feel you. But, if you're feeling a little bit down, then remind yourself of this. Nicole, you are a very kind person, and one of the most sincere people I've ever met. Nobody is going to match up to your heart, because it's pure gold. I know we don't hang around as often as I'd like, or you'd like, but I always enjoy it when we are together and we have deep heart to heart conversations. But remember that if you don't tell yourself that, then I will. I'll be here to remind you of it," Ash says.

When he says that, it's like the gas needed to start a fire. I immediately start to feel warm and tingly inside. I can't help but crack a smile at Ash's compliment, and when he sees my smile, one of his infectious ones forms on his face as well. At that moment, I realize how lucky I am to have Ash.

Even though Colin would slaughter me if I got too close to him personally, he's just a great guy to know, and have in your family or friends circle. His words of wisdom are probably the only things that are keeping me sane throughout these hellish years.

"Thank you, Ash. Really. I needed that badly. That means a lot." He just gives me another one of his sweet smiles.

"Of course. I'm always here if you need some encouragement or cheering up." I smile. Blush starts to sweep my cheeks, as Ash goes through the documents one more time. As he's scanning through the documents, the front doorknob turns, and Colin walks in, with a few groceries in his hand.

"Ah, Ash. I see you're already here. Did Nicole let you in?" he asks. We both shake our heads.

"Nope. I had the key, so I let myself in. Plus, I didn't want Nicole to come all the way downstairs, so I just let myself in and I waited for her or you to come," Ash says, as Colin walks up the stairs.

"Okay. That's fine. I hope she didn't give you too much trouble," Colin says, while eyeing me. Ash shakes his head.

"Never. Nicole could never physically do that. You got lucky, you know. She's a pretty amazing person all around," Ash says. I try to fight the blush that's trying to overcome my cheeks, but the blush wins the battle, and dominates my cheeks to make them look a bright pink color.

Colin rolls his eyes, and sits down in another seat next to him. "Anyways, the documents. Tell me, what do we have here?" Colin says, which is basically my cue to leave the conversation. I go back into the living room to sweep the floor, but I don't let Ash's words leave my head for a while.

*****************************

"Oh my gosh, this book is so good," I think to myself, as I flip a page. I've been hooked onto this book for so long, and I absolutely love its prequel as well. "Winston and Ravenna go so well together, and I can't get enough of Winston's sass. Oh man, why didn't Winston throw Ravenna out of the plane window? Big mistake, buddy," I think to myself, as I devour this book page by page.

While I'm enjoying the book, Colin comes up into the room, looking very obviously worn out. My gaze doesn't shift from where he is. He inches closer to me, and clears his throat very loudly. I look up at him, and raise an eyebrow. "Do you need anything?" I ask. He crosses his arms, and looks me dead in the eye.

"I need to talk to you," he says, in a dangerously low voice. I bookmark the page, and close the book. The overhead light shines upon the title of the book, The Screams Of Silence. I look back at Colin.

"Come over here," he says, with the voice of his tone not changing. I get up off of my bed, and go towards where Colin is standing. His eyes are twitching noticeably, and I can see a vein in his forehead throbbing.

"What the hell were you doing with Ash when I was gone?" he hisses at me. I keep my face civil and cordial, while holding my head up high.

"Just talking. Why does it concern you?" I ask him, Colin's eyes widen, and he takes the collar of my shirt and yanks it towards him sharply. I gasp out of surprise, with Colin's breath dangerously close to my face.

"It concerns me because I don't need you whoring around with my brother. You're mine, not his. You're never going to be his. He won't like a whore like you, who goes around and sleeps with other men behind my back," Colin growls. I scoff a little bit, and raise an eyebrow at his empty threats.

"If I was going to do that, then your brother would be the first person," I shoot at him. Without missing a beat, his other hand balls up into a fist and makes contact with the side of my face in a forceful punch. The impact causes me to fall to the side, and hit the floor with a loud THUD! I hold the side of my face as pain surges through it like an electric shock.

He leans over to where I am, and he snarls, "I will kill both of you if you even dare to try that with me. Mark my words." As he walks away, and as I hold my face, I wonder if he will stay true to his words. He's so unpredictable, so I don't know what he has in store for me.

But, then again, if Ash decided to tell him the conversation we had today, which is unlikely, I would probably be dead right now. At least I died knowing someone had the potential to be nice to me.

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If you guys get the Shadowhunters reference above, I will love you forever. So, we got to meet Ash in a little bit more detail! What do you guys think of him so far? Let me know in the comments.

Hey everyone! How are you all? So, the main reason for putting this chapter is the same reason I wrote the first few chapters. I want you guys to get to know Ash. I know he's a favorite amongst some of the people, including me. *smirks at a special someone* No seriously, he's one of my favorite characters in the book.

Also, very brief side note. I decided to be that person and sneak in a little reference to one of my favorite books on Wattpad. It's The Screams of Silence, by the very awesome RavensOfOld . I highly recommend you check it out, and its prequel, because it's such a treat.

Another side note (I promise this is the last one), to all the people who read INI first, and then came to Phoenix, Phoenix's chapters are going to be so much longer than INI's, because I always underestimate how much I write. (on average, Phoenix's chapters are about twice as long. So, if you like extra long chapters, hooray!)

That's pretty much it. Hope you guys liked this chapter!

Please vote/comment/share/follow/message if you like my work! See you all next Saturday with a new chapter of Phoenix. Have a great week!

Love you guys,

Shree.