Irene's POV
I woke up with a pounding headache. My eyes were gritty from lack of sleep, my throat dry, my whole body restless. I hadn’t stopped pacing the room since last night, wearing a faint track into the expensive rug beneath my bare feet. My nails were chewed down to the quick, and every creak of the floorboards or muffled sound outside my door made my stomach twist. I hated the silence between those moments—it was too loud, pressing in on me, suffocating me.
The walls felt closer today. I didn’t know if it was just my mind making it worse, or if they had somehow tightened the space to make me feel caged. I’d tried to open the door again hours ago, but the heavy lock didn’t budge. They weren’t just keeping me inside—they were keeping the world out. And the longer it stayed that way
