Ayla’s POV
I pressed the power button over and over, but nothing happened. The screen stayed black. Completely unresponsive.
No. No no no.
I clutched the dead phone in my hands, staring at where the screen had been just seconds ago, as if I could will it back to life through sheer desperation.
Had the message sent before the phone died? Or had it failed to deliver, leaving Derek with no idea what had happened to me?
I had no way to know.
I sat there in the darkness, the dead phone useless in my hands, my blistered wrists throbbing, my whole body shaking.
If the message hadn't sent, Derek would just think I was ignoring him. He would have no idea I was locked in some concrete room in the woods. No idea where to even start looking.
And if the message had sent, he would be coming. But
