CHAPTER 9: SHADOWS AND SENSORY TRAPS
Time stretched into a cruel, heavy thing in the dark.
I don't know how long I stood behind those heavy velvet drapes, staring down at the empty driveway after Saviour and that emerald-gowned girl vanished inside. Every ticking second felt like an insult. Downstairs, muffled orchestral music vibrated faintly through the floorboards, punctuated by clinking champagne flutes and refined laughter, a party for a world I didn't belong to.
My stomach let out a sharp, hollow growl, reminding me I hadn't eaten since morning.
Suddenly, the faint metallic click of a key unlocking the bedroom door sliced through the quiet.
My heart shot straight into my throat. Rule number two: Hide when they come close.
Adrenaline surged through my veins. Panic overwrote thou
