"Sweetheart." It was different this time, this was new. These were promises to be kept. He got into bed beside her, smelling of sweat and alcohol and the perfumes of other women. He stroked away her bruises and tears, and Grace felt flames erupt over her skin as he touched her exactly the way she liked it. She knew this time it was real. Grace woke with a start, and, though she was quite alone, felt her face grow warm. Th...

"Whore!" The words spilled from his mouth and stabbed her heart like knives. "Filthy slut!" The first blow sent her stumbling backwards, but she kept her balance. "Pete, love -" His fist smashed into her stomach - she folded and crumpled onto the floor, smashing her head against the counter. Her vision blurred and dimmed, and she had an uncontrollable urge to vomit. The door slammed shut behind him. Grace turned her head...

The cold seeped through the seams of her flimsy jacket and Kat shivered violently. The icy finger of a zephyr curled its way around her neck like a scarf and raised goosebumps over her back. Impatiently, she pressed the doorbell for a third time. The snow had arrived a month earlier and had not left, lying in a thick blanket that seemed to hold in the freezing temperatures. Unable to cope, public transport had ground to a...