~Carmen POV~
I was in bed staring at the ceiling. I glanced at the alarm clock on my bedside table, and saw it was 6:03 AM. I had texted Bella last night, telling her I would be late for work today. I lied and told her I had a doctor’s appointment in the morning. I never told her about what happened to me so I could not tell her that I was going to make a formal criminal complaint against my stalker and rapist. Though I could see her being sympathetic and dropping everything to come with me for moral support, I didn’t want to introduce the nightmare I live with, under the surface to my everyday world. In the “real” world, my preferred world, I was never kidnapped, tortured and raped. I didn’t have a deranged, narcissistic ex-whatever to call him, stalking me. I was a regular girl, living
