EVELYN
The door shut behind me with a thud.
I stood still, listening to the lock slide into place. The two guards posted outside didn’t speak. Their boots shifted slightly on the stone floor, then fell silent again.
I moved stiffly to the edge of the bed and sat down.
The room was smaller, colder, and far darker than mine had been. A narrow bed with a fraying blanket occupied the center, accompanied only by a squat cabinet.
A gust of wind swept in through a c***k in the window, and I shivered. I rose to shut it, but my hands trembled so violently I couldn’t keep a grip. Defeated, I sat back down, tucking my hands between my thighs to stop the shaking.
I was terrified.
I had tried to stay calm, but the image of those guards trying to pry my hands open lingered – the iron bars press
