Nora’s POV
My stomach grumbled relentlessly. I wasn’t just hungry; my entire body ached, as if the pain I thought had faded was merely lying in wait, ready to ambush me with a new kind of torment.
“How long must I endure this?” I whispered to myself, my thoughts spiraling. “I know Hale won’t stop tormenting me until I either leave this house or give in to his schemes.” My mind buzzed with a whirlwind of fears and regrets, so much so that I barely noticed myself rising from the bed and drifting toward my phone, perched atop the dressing table.
Perhaps calling my sister, Elena, would offer some relief. Maybe returning home could spare me the humiliation Hale inflicted daily. With trembling fingers, I scrolled through my contacts, pausing at her name. I tapped it and watched the screen as
