CHLOE'S POV
I would do anything—absolutely anything—to quiet the frantic drumming in my chest right now. My heart hammers against my ribs, a wild, trapped animal throwing itself against the cage. It is so loud, so violent that the sound echoes in my ears, a suffocating rhythm I can’t escape no matter how hard I draw the air into my lungs. I pull in breath after ragged breath, but the sheer force of my gasping does nothing to dull the impact. Every strike of my pulse vibrates right through my bones.
I’m terrified. I shouldn't have come here. Of all the places, all the coordinates on the map I could have chosen to flee to, this house should have been crossed off in thick, red ink. Not that my options were endless. In reality, I had nowhere else to turn. But stepping over this threshold w
