The silence of the apartment swallowed Cordelia whole once Ash finally left. She had waited until the sound of his boots faded down the hall before letting herself breathe properly. His presence outside her door all night had been… grounding, in a way she didn’t want to admit. It reminded her of safety—something she hadn’t felt in a long time. Yet the moment he was gone, the walls pressed in on her again.
She shuffled into the bathroom, peeling off the clothes she had worn all day, clothes that carried the scent of sweat, faint blood, and anxiety. The hot water burned as it sluiced over her body, scalding against the half-healed bruises and cuts she had been concealing. She bit down hard on her lip, the pain grounding her, reminding her to keep moving. She washed until her skin felt raw,
