Don’t get too close it’s dark inside, It’s where my demons hide.

– Demons Imagine dragons

She woke up unable to move. Her face, her body, in unbearable pain. But she knew that she had to move. She couldn’t let him win. She couldn’t give in to the devil living with her. He was sleeping. Peacefully. She didn’t know peace anymore. She hadn’t for a while. Not since she met him. The real him.

She wasn’t stupid. But he, well, he was the Satan. He made it seem like he was an angel, her saviour, sent from the heavens to breathe life into her. He had saved her at a time she wanted nothing more than death. He had shown her a different world. Made her stand up again. Little had she known that he would be the cause of all her pain. Little had she known about the monsters that reside inside him.

The first few years with him were bliss. She was on cloud nine. Invincible. He made her feel invincible. They were invincible. She was. He made her feel that way. And she loved it. It was like they could take over the world together. And slowly, she let him become her world without even realizing it.

It was then that the monsters living inside his head reared their ugly faces. He would rage like a wild beast; hit her. But he would always show up the next day with flowers, tears and an apology that could make the heavens sway. And she let him back in. There were times she would think about leaving him. But she never could. He had her wrapped around his fingers. He knew just when to turn his charm on to make sure that she never left. That she could never leave.

And now, now that she had no one left, no way out. The monsters inside him never left. It was the same story every night. She thanked the heavens on the days he wouldn’t return. Because every night he came home meant pain. They were written in red.

And she was helpless. She couldn’t stop him. She had tried, but he was invincible. People believed every word he said. They told her she was lucky to have him.

So she did what she always did. She painted her face with the colours of the rainbow. Trying to hide the pain, the evident doom. Like every morning, she got out of bed before him. Tended to her wounds and covered her bruises. She brought life to her face with black around her eyes and red lips.

He came up from behind her. Kissed her. Drunk as he tends to get, she still marvelled at his ability to get up and around the next day. He pulled her in tight enough to remind her of the control he had. Tight enough to bruise.

“You look beautiful.” He whispered sweetly. And she just smiled at him. Daring not to look at him, she stared blankly at her reflection in the mirror. Her heart was pounding with fear. Willing him to leave it at that. But in the world she lived in, wishes were rarely granted.