The sharp, sterile sting of antiseptic hit Anna before she even opened her eyes. When she finally did, the room was a white smear that slowly sharpened into focus. She tried to move, but a jagged spike of pain shot through her skull, forcing a gasp from her throat. Her hand reached up, fingers brushing against the thick, scratchy layers of a gauze bandage wrapped tight around her head.
“How did I get here?” she whispered. The silence of the room was suddenly shattered by a flood of memories from the night before. Each image—the shouting, the raised hand, the impact—felt like a physical blow.
“That monster,” she spat. Her voice trembled, and hot tears pooled in her eyes. She knew his hatred ran deep, but the physical evidence wrapped around her head was a new, terrifying low. Her mind rac
