The room felt like it was closing in on me. My lungs struggled to take in air, and the world around me blurred into a haze of color and sound. Dominic’s voice was loud, urgent, as he spoke on the phone. I could see him pacing near the foot of the bed, his jaw tight and his eyes sharp with concern.
I knew he was talking about me—about him. His words were reaching my ears, but they weren’t registering. It was like listening through water, muffled and distorted.
Instead, my mind was somewhere else.
The screams. My screams, echoing in my head like they were happening right now. I could hear them, feel them clawing up my throat as Alex’s hands pinned me down. His smile—the kind that should’ve been warm, comforting—was twisted, hungry, as he leaned in close.
“That’s it,” he’d whispered back
