Chapter 27: Break Me Instead
Cold. --- That was the first thing Elena felt. --- Cold air against her skin. Cold metal beneath her hands. Cold silence pressing in from every direction. --- Then— awareness. --- Her eyes opened slowly, vision blurred before it sharpened into something far worse. --- A room. Large. Empty. Industrial. --- Familiar. --- Not the same as before. But close enough. --- Her wrists were bound again. Above her this time. Suspended. --- Her body tensed instantly, pain pulling through her shoulders as she tested the restraints. Too tight. Too strong. --- Her pulse raced— but she forced herself to breathe. Slow. Controlled. --- Panic wouldn’t help. --- Footsteps echoed. --- She didn’t look up immediately. Didn’t give him that. --- “You’re stronger than the o
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