Vanessa's POV.
The room smelled of stale cigarette smoke and artificial air freshener, the kind that barely masked the stench of cheap liquor and desperation. The fluctuating light above me buzzed faintly, with an ugly yellow glow over the peeling wallpaper. The walls felt like they were closing in, suffocating me, making it impossible to think straight. The mattress beneath me was stiff, the sheets rough against my skin, but I hadn’t moved in hours.
My fingers gripped the cracked edges of my phone so tightly that my knuckles turned bone white. My breath was uneven, my pulse hammering violently in my throat.
Emily was free.
The news was everywhere…blaring from TV screens, flooding social media, plastered across every major headline.
Emily Greyson has been rescued.
Emily Greyson speak
