RUBY JUNE.
The door to the dark room burst open with a deafening crash, and I blinked through swollen, bloodshot eyes. My vision blurred, a mix of tears and pain, as the figure stormed in. For a moment, I thought it was another nightmare, another shadow coming to break me down even further. I couldn’t feel anything but the agonizing throb of my body.
“Ruby…” The voice was raw with emotion, shaking in a way I had never heard before.
Through the haze, I saw him—Charles. His face was twisted in a mix of horror and fury as he took in the sight of me, beaten, bloodied, barely clinging to life. My heart gave a weak lurch in my chest. I tried to say his name, but my throat was too dry, too broken to make a sound.
Charles dropped to his knees beside me, his hands trembling as they reached out,
