Lighter

Dedication

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty- Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty- Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty- Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Books by Gia Riley

Copyright © 2015 by Gia Riley

All Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded, or distributed via the Internet without the publisher’s permission and is in violation of the International copyright law.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

Cover Design by

Sommer Stein, Perfect Pear Creative Covers

Interior Design and Formatting by

Christine Borgford, Perfectly Publishable

Two Years Ago

“SOPHIE, WAIT! I’M SORRY. I’M just worried about you,” Megan yells from the double doors leading from the locker room into the hallway.

She saw the bruises on my body.

I knew better than to change in front of everyone after gym class, yet I did it anyway because I was running late to meet my boyfriend. Blaine doesn’t like it when I keep him waiting. Tossing my book bag over my shoulder, I round the corner and smack right into him—and he doesn’t look happy.

“What did you say to her?” He questions with a deadly stare.

“Nothing. I didn’t say a word.” I didn’t but I still avert my eyes, choosing to stare at the tile on the floor instead of him. Without warning, he grabs my arm and pulls me into the bathroom. It’s empty.

“Please, Blaine.” I’m begging him to stop. He hears me, but he doesn’t listen.

“I told you what I would do, didn’t I?”

I swallow, my hands shaking. “Yes.”

He pins my arms against the wall, hovering over me. “And yet you still couldn’t keep your damn mouth shut.”

I try to yank my arms from his grasp, but his grip is too tight. His fingertips dig painfully into my arms, his nails breaking through the skin. “I swear I didn’t tell her anything.”

He inches closer to my face, the warmth of his breath hits my cheek. “Don’t fucking lie to me, Sophie. What happened the last time you lied to me?”

“I’m not lying. Please, Blaine. I wouldn’t.”

“What happened, Sophie?”

He’s going to make me say it—as if I’d ever need a reminder. It’s impossible to forget. “You had to teach me a lesson.”

“But you never learn. No matter how hard I try to protect you.”

“I’m sorry,” I plead. Regardless of the fact that I’m innocent, he morphs my apology into an admission of guilt.

“Damn right you are,” he spits through gritted teeth. His calmness now completely gone and replaced with anger. “Don’t you ever lie to me again, you hear me?”

“Yes,” I whisper.

He grabs my chin, roughly scraping his calloused thumb over my lips. His dilated pupils pierce straight through me sending chills down my spine. “Tell me you love me.” My words get lodged in my throat and I make the mistake of pausing a second too long. “Say it!” he warns as his fist pounds against the wall next to my head.

“I love you, Blaine.” And maybe there was a time I actually did. He wasn’t always like this, but neither was I. If I could go back in time, I’d tell him no. I’d push him away from me and keep my distance. But I’m just like my mother—unable to get away and desperate enough to stay. “Please let go of me. You’re hurting me.”

Finally he releases me, replacing his harsh words with sweet promises—his rough touches with gentle caresses. With a flip of a switch, he’s back to the Blaine I fell for, masking any signs of the evil he’s become.

“You make me so crazy, Sophie.” He runs his fingers through my long blond hair, leaving a trail of light kisses on my neck. “I only get mad because I love you so much.”

“I know.” Painfully well. My scattered bruises a daily reminder of his temper.

His hand falls from my hair as he latches onto my hip, pulling me flush against his body. “Baby, I need you. You’re everything to me.”

Everything I don’t want to be. Not anymore.

Beneath the surface, I’m scarred and broken; a much darker version of the girl I once was. There was a time I believed I was worthy of true love. But now, living in a hell littered with reminders of broken promises, I know what we have is anything but love.

It’s in this moment that I know I’m not strong enough to fight another day unless I get away from him. But I don’t know how. I need a plan—something to get me away from this town and its memories.

Closing my eyes, I say a silent prayer that my luck will change—that someone will save me from the hell my life has become.

“YOU’LL WANT TO CONNECT WITH the therapist on campus as soon as you’re settled. I’ve spoken with her and she’s looking forward to meeting you.”

I reach for the card in her hands, accepting it yet wishing I didn’t have to worry about a therapist at all. Most girls my age are settling into their third year of college without the hassle of mind games and nightmares. It’s not the case for me, but I wasn’t dealt a perfect hand in life either. “Thank you. I will.”

“You can do this, Sophie. You’re strong. Remember that. Let this change be positive—don’t get caught up in old behaviors.”

I hope she’s right. Part of me believes I can overcome anything while the other is positive I’ll fail if given the slightest chance. “I’ll do my best.” A new town, new school, new friends, but at least I’ll have my roommate and the team. The comradery is the only thing that’s ever grounded me and made me feel welcome—like I belonged.

Home life has always been toxic and filled with turmoil. I’ve never had two parents who gave a shit about me. Nix that, my mom cares when she doesn’t have to worry about my dad screaming at her or screwing her over. When it’s just her and me, we have a real relationship. But the second he comes home, that’s thrown out the window. At least the divorce is almost final—driving the last nail in the proverbial coffin.