Elizabeth's eyes fluttered open, a dull, throbbing ache pulsing through her head. For a moment, she blinked against the haze clouding her vision, disoriented and struggling to remember what had happened.
The room around her was dimly lit, and as her senses slowly returned, she became aware of the cold, hard surface beneath her.
Where was she?
She tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness washed over her, forcing her to lie back down, her breathing shallow and quick. As she pressed a shaky hand against her forehead, fragments of recent events began to return.
She remembered Uncle Nick's taunting laughter, his cold, unforgiving stare. The feeling of glass shattering as he struck her- pain, panic, and the fading hope that someone might find her.
Now, here she was, alone in an
