I should have left her a note or something… Or at least gotten her number.

All day at work, I had been thinking about Stacey. Sleeping by her side had filled me with such excitement that, in a way, it made me nervous. I was scared that I would end up doing something that I’d regret – something that would push her away forever.

Maybe that was why I had left so soon.

Still, the thought of her peacefully sleeping by my side lingered in my mind.

God, she was beautiful.

An angel.

Deep down, I already knew there was no question. I was falling for her and falling hard.

I clutched the flowers in my hands. Daisies. I’d thought about getting her some roses, but that seemed a little too romantic. Yes, I wanted to take things to the next level, but at the same time, I didn’t want to seem too eager.

When I emerged from the stairwell, I took a deep breath. This was it. I imagined every possible scenario of what was about to happen. Rejection was the most probable. I tried to harden myself against it, but I knew that if it happened, I’d be heartbroken.

Fingers crossed, I guess.

My footsteps echoed through the hall in an almost ominous manner. Even before I reached the door, I had the feeling that something was wrong – very wrong. My suspicions were justified when I arrived to find her door kicked in.

I dropped the flowers and rushed inside. The place was trashed. “Stacey!” I called out, already growing worried. “Stacey? Where are you?” I checked the kitchen. Nothing. Living room. Nothing.

Had someone broken in? But who? Who would do such a thing?

Suddenly, I heard Missy crying from her room. I ran in there to find her red-faced, her little fists swinging in the air. I picked her up gently, holding her against my chest and trying to comfort her. “Shh…” I cooed.

She quieted down, laying her head on my shoulder.

“Where’s your mommy? Why would she just leave you here?” I asked her, even though I knew I wouldn’t get an answer.

With her still in my arms, I started walking around the apartment, looking for clues. There had to be some way for me to track down whomever had done this.

I entered the bathroom.

To my horror, I found Stacey unconscious on the ground.

“Stacey!” I screamed. “Stacey!” She wasn’t responding. Terror struck my heart. Was she dead?

No. She couldn’t be.

Gently, I placed Missy back in her crib before rushing to Stacey’s side. I picked her up, carrying her bridal style to the bed. “Stacey… please… answer me…” I begged. Her skin was clammy and cold.

This was bad. Very bad.

I pressed my head to her chest.

Thump… thump…

Okay, she was alive. Her heart was still beating. Slowly. But beating.

I checked whether she was still breathing. Her breaths were shallow, almost as if she was pulling air in and out through a straw.

Knowing I had to do something to help, I pried her lips open and leaned down. It was the first time our lips had come together. Not the circumstances I would have hoped for, but that didn’t matter at this point.

All that mattered was getting her to wake up.

I blew air into her lungs, our lips melting into one.

“Come on…” I whispered. “You’ve got to wake up.” In that moment, I cursed myself for skipping the CPR class offered by VanGuard. Sure, in theory, I had seen enough movies and medical dramas to know what to do, but I still felt like I had no idea what I was doing. “Please… Stacey…”

I was just about to start giving her compressions – my hands were already on her chest -- when her eyelids fluttered. Eager, my face gravitated toward hers.

When she finally awoke, our faces were so close that she jumped with fright, nearly falling off of the bed.

Instinctually, I grabbed her. “Careful.”

“W-What happened?” she asked, rubbing the side of her head. It was only then that I realized she had a cut on her temple and a bruise on her cheek.

What had happened?

Had someone done her harm?

The thought filled me with such rage that I actually started to shake.

“Who did this to you?” I demanded, my arms tight around her. I felt like I would never let her go. All I wanted to do was keep her safe – to prevent something like this from ever happening again.

“I…” She bit the inside of her lip. I could tell by the way she avoided my gaze that she was hiding something.

“It was him, wasn’t it?”

She shook her head.

“Don’t lie to me, Stacey.” I forced her to look at me. “Why are you protecting that scumbag?”

Her eyes grew watery. “He’s the father of my child… he used to be good… but then he started…” Her voice broke, choked up with the explanation. “He started falling in with the wrong crowd… started taking something… I don’t know what, but it changed him… he’s not the same man anymore.” She touched her cheek. “He never would’ve hit me before…”

I clenched my jaw at her words. “He’s going to pay for this,” I growled. “Oh, I’m going to make him regret the day he was born.” I got up from the bed in a fury, pacing back and forth with my rage. “He’s dead.”

Without another word, I ran out of the apartment, only one thing on my mind.