Chapter 11: Battered hearts
Aria's POV
My ears rang from the force of that slap and when I looked up at him, I realized that even though I could see his mouth moving, his eyes red and face distorted as saliva flew from his mouth in what I was sure was a rant, I could not hear anything.
He pulled me by my hair and I screamed, kicking out and trying to break free even though I already knew how this was going to end. He would not rest until he had beaten me black and blue and then he would lock me up and I would have to wait in pain until he determined I was repentant for whatever sin he had accused me of.
Freeing myself from his grasp, I turned and crawled towards my sketch pad, screaming again when he tried to drag me towards him. When the ringing in my ears finally stopped, the word
