Bruised and Beautiful

This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice. The rain hammered against the grimy windows of the downtown shelter like accusatory fingers, each drop a reminder of the storm that had become Elena Moreau's life. She pulled her threadbare cardigan tighter around her shoulders, wincing as the fabric brushed against the fresh bruises that painted her ribs in shades of purple and blue. The fluorescent lights overhead flickered intermittently, casting harsh shadows across the sparse common room where a handful of other women sat in various states of despair and determination. Elena had been here for three days now, three days since she'd finally found the courage to walk away from the man who had promised to love her but had instead systematically destroyed every piece of her spirit he could reach. Marcus Blackwood had been charming once, devastatingly handsome with his silver tongue and expensive suits. He'd swept her off her feet when she was just twenty-two, fresh out of college and naive enough to believe that love conquered all. Five years later, she knew better. The shelter director, Mrs. Henley, approached with a gentle smile that didn't quite mask the concern in her weathered eyes. "Elena, dear, there's someone here to see you. Says he's from the legal aid society." Elena's stomach clenched. She'd been expecting this visit but dreading it all the same. The restraining order she'd filed would need follow-up, and there were questions to answer, forms to sign. The legal machinery that would hopefully keep Marcus away from her forever was slow and bureaucratic, but it was her only hope for a future free from fear. "I'll be right there," she whispered, her voice still hoarse from the screaming match that had finally given her the strength to run.