Punished

This Dark book is not for the faint of heart. Please read the description before reading.

Life was never meant to be easy, or so the saying goes.

My story is not one of fairytales or happily ever afters. I don't even know what that means anymore. I don't even believe it can exist. Not really.

If you had told me years ago that I would be married to a violent man who handed out punishments often and freely, I'd never have believed it. I was too strong. Too independent.

It's funny how our life circumstances ultimately shape what we believe to be right or wrong. Do I know that what he does to me is wrong? Yes. Would I call myself an abused wife? No. Try to puzzle that one out for me. I live in a life of contradiction and uncertainty and have accepted that.

I've learned that violence in the home is similar to a game of Chess. Each move you make in the game, planned or not, comes with both advantages and disadvantages. You have to keep moving forward, win or lose. You learn to expect the unexpected because both the wins and the losses are just part of the game.

I've learned to hide the pain that I know so well, pain that aches to my very bones. I've become an expert at putting on a smile and hiding the tears, making myself presentable as I camouflage the deep scars that echo within my heart and into my soul. I can detail the circumstances behind every mark, every scar that is permanently tattooed on my body. I can tell each story in vivid detail, stories that could bring tears to the eyes of the hardest men. I'm far too familiar with pain and what it feels like to be broken and I'm really not quite sure what to do about that anymore.

This is my story.

Take this journey through Kaetlyn's tumultuous marriage, one that is marked with violence and pain. It's a story that few are able to tell, stories that are all too often hidden behind closed doors and shuttered windows. Violence in the home is more common than most realize. This book will take you through the emotional and physical horror that Kaetlyn endures at the hands of her husband.

This isn't a book that ends in a happily ever after, but it does have a happy-for-now ending. This is a nontraditional Dark Romance. There are things that may trigger some readers, so please don't read if you aren't comfortable with: depictions of harsh and violent punishments and strong sexual material that most often includes some form of violence. It is raw and it is real.