“Who are you?” I tried again, the tremor in my voice betraying the anger.
Still, she said nothing. Instead, she held out the bundle of clothes, her hand steady.
“I’m not putting that on.” It wasn’t disobedience, it was desperation. She didn’t flinch, didn’t even react. Just waited.
Her silence was worse than any threat. It filled my chest with something I couldn’t fight.
“You’ll want to wear them. He doesn’t like waiting.”
Ice flooded my veins, and I shook my head. “No,” I whispered. “No, I’m not—”
Her gaze snapped to mine then. “You don’t have a choice, Miss.”
My fists clenched, and all I could do was stare at her, the clothes in her hands, the door still slightly ajar behind her. But there was no running, no escaping that bastard.
With trembling hands, I reached out and took the bundle.
“The bathroom’s that way.”
I moved toward the bathroom like a marionette, the bundle of clothes hung heavy in my arms. My bare feet scraped against the cold floor, and the door clicked shut behind me, closing me in a hollow space that reeked of bleach and despair.
The mirror was right above the sink. For a long moment, I couldn’t look. My hands gripped the edge of the counter, knuckles turning white, as I willed myself to breathe.
When I finally dared to lift my gaze, the reflection staring back at me wasn’t mine. It couldn’t be.
The girl in the mirror was hollow, her eyes rimmed red and swollen. Her lips quivered, her face—my face—was streaked with the tracks of tears that had long since dried. There was no fight left in her. Only a shadow of the person she used to be.
I hated her.
An ugly sob tore from my throat, and I clapped a hand over my mouth to stifle it. Adrian should’ve been beside me, laughing, loving, and… alive.
If I stayed here, I’d die. Maybe not today, but soon.
I dragged my gaze back to the mirror. My fingers twitched as I grabbed the cloth from the bundle, wrapping it around my hand. The mirror trembled under my fist before shattering into a spider web of jagged pieces. The sound was muffled.
I fished out the largest shard. Its edge was sharp enough to bite into my skin.
I quickly slipped into the purple dress and tore the remains of my old dress into strips, wrapping the shard in the largest piece and shoving it against my chest.
My heart thundered against it.
I just needed to act my part. He wouldn’t trample over my life without me fighting back.
The purple dress fit too well. Too perfect, as if it had been made for me.
I bit the inside of my cheek hard until I tasted blood. Pain stranded me.
Hiding my shaking hands behind my back, I took a breath and left the bathroom. The woman was not there. The cuffs lay on the floor. I clenched my jaw before walking to the metal door. My fingers hovered over the handle, and I forced myself to take a deep breath.
She was waiting. Her eyes swept over me and without a word, she simply turned and gestured for me to follow.
If I couldn’t escape, then I’d make him regret ever touching my life.
She led me down a narrow, dimly lit hallway. It was a basement, I realised. Grey and black walls and a concrete floor. Yellow bulbs and a stench... which I didn’t want to decipher.
There was a door at the end of the staircase, and somehow I knew where it led. The moment I stepped onto it, my breath hitched. The door opened into a grand room, and my eyes widened, momentarily forgetting to breathe.
What… what place was this?
