Her vision blurred with tears as the door closed behind him. She stood there, frozen, the air thick with his presence even though he was gone.
Her phone buzzed on the couch.
She turned her head slowly, dread curling inside her.
It was Ash.
“You home safe?”
Her throat tightened. She wanted to scream back at him through the screen, No. I’m not safe. Max isn’t safe. Reid is suffocating me.
But her fingers hovered, shaking, before she simply typed back:
Yeah. I’m fine.
A lie.
Cordelia sank onto the couch, pulling her knees to her chest. The walls felt like they were closing in. Between Ash’s steady, quiet warmth and Reid’s cold, ruthless grip, she didn’t know how much longer she could pretend everything was normal.
But one thing was clear—Reid wouldn’t let her go. Not until he squeez
