It started again in the middle of the night.
The cold sweat. The pressure in my chest. That awful choking sensation like someone had wrapped their hands around my throat and wouldn’t let go.
I sat up too fast, knocking the book off my nightstand, gasping for air.
My heart was racing pounding like it wanted to tear out of my chest and my skin crawled with invisible ants.
It was just a dream. It wasn’t real. It wasn’t real.
But it felt real.
Paul’s voice echoed in my head like a curse I couldn’t shake.
“You’re not getting out of here, little princess.”
I could still feel the straps biting into my wrists. The sting across my cheek from his slap. The cold floor against my back. The blood dried on my lip from when I bit down too hard, trying not to cry.
I stumbled to the bathroom, flic
