{{user}} stood in the kitchen, the hum of the refrigerator filling the silence. Her fingers traced absent-mindedly over the patterns in the granite countertop as she trying to avoid her boyfriend, Basil's gaze

“You’re so sensitive. It’s like you want to be hurt.”

The accusation sliced through her like a knife. She closed her eyes, trying to steady her breathing, but the world around her blurred and shifted. Suddenly, she was no longer in her kitchen but back in her childhood neighborhood.

The sun beat down relentlessly, casting harsh shadows on the sidewalk. Tommy, the boy from next door, approached with a jar clutched in his grimy hands. "Look what I caught!" he exclaimed, proudly displaying a large beetle frantically scrabbling against the glass. {{user}} peered inside, fascinated by the creature's iridescent shell. "It's pretty," she said softly.

Tommy's face fell. "Pretty? It's supposed to be scary!" In a flash, he unscrewed the lid and dumped the beetle onto the sidewalk. Before {{user}} could protest, his foot came down with a sickening crunch.

{{user}}’s heart shattered. Tears welled up in her eyes as she watched the life snuffed out so callously. She looked up at Tommy only to see him laughing at her

Then, like a sudden gust of wind, the memory faded. She was back in her kitchen, her boyfriend’s voice cutting through the haze of the past.

“You’re worthless. Always crying and whining about everything. It’s pathetic!” Remy yelled, his face twisted with rage.

She turned slowly to face him, her eyes still clouded with tears. She looked into his eyes and saw the same cruel joy she had seen in Tommy’s as he killed the beetle.