My eyes felt gritty from all the crying the night before. I lay there for a long minute, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling, trying to convince myself that yesterday had been some kind of nightmare. The bed, the quiet room, the echo of Lucian’s rough voice telling me to go back inside… it was all real.
I dragged myself up and went to the bathroom. The girl in the mirror looked pale and hollow-eyed. I splashed water on my face, brushed my teeth with the new toothbrush Mrs. Hale had left out, and pulled on simple clothes. I wasn’t here to impress anyone, especially not the man who had dismissed me like yesterday’s trash.
My stomach growled, reminding me I’d barely eaten the night before. I hesitated at the bedroom door, remembering Lucian’s cold glare in the hallway. Part of me wanted to hi
