2 DAYS LATER…
The shower was a small escape. Steam filled the room, wrapping around me like a soft blanket.
The hot water ran down my back, washing away the cold and the ache that settled in my bones from last night.
It wasn’t just the bruises or the pain — it was the fear, the weight of everything Marcus had done and might still do.
I closed my eyes and let the water cover me, hoping it would wash some of the fear away, even if just for a little while.
When I finally stepped out, wrapping the towel tight around my body, I felt a soft breeze from the cracked window.
I looked around my small room, the one I’d come to call home. And then my eyes landed on something new.
A dress, folded neatly on the bed. It was dark—black, maybe navy—soft-looking, something Ryder would pick.
My he
