_In a hazy, evening glow, his face slips in and out of focus. I know that face, and yet I don’t. There are no concrete features. I couldn’t tell you what color his eyes were, or how tall he is, or the shape of his face, but I knew him. Deep in my soul, I knew that face. As recognition sunk in, I felt my stomach drop. My hands became clammy, my heart rate picked up; my once slow, steady breath, caught in my throat. His eyes connected with mine. A cruel smile formed on his face. One moment he was across the room, and in the next he was within inches of my face. _

__

_The scene began to take shape, just as I remembered it. The lights dimmed low, the plate shattered to pieces, the meal I made, scattered across the floor. The blood red stain on the carpet, right where the glass fell. The red began to spread, thickening into a gooey substance, that was more than just wine. He opened his mouth to repeat those words that still haunted me. As my body recoiled, and the fear crept up from my toes to my chest, the haze came back, and the scene washed away. _

My eyes shot open, my body flung upright. It took me a moment to reorient my self, to remember where I was. “It was a dream, it was just a dream.” I said out loud, to no one but myself. “You are safe, it’s over.” I took a deep breath, and held it until my lungs burned, and pushed it out. “He can’t hurt me again.” And yet, there was a small part of me that remained uneasy. He might be gone from the physical world, but if he finds me in my dreams, how will I ever know peace. He told me he would always find me, and he never broke a promise…