ISABELLA
The shower ran for a long time. Longer than usual. Long enough for my mind to spiral into places I didn’t want it to go.
I sat on the edge of the bed, knees pulled to my chest, staring at the bathroom door as steam curled out from underneath it. The lamp cast a soft glow across the room, but it didn’t warm me. Not tonight.
My phone buzzed beside me. I jumped.
For a heartbeat, I thought and hoped it was Adrian texting me from inside the bathroom, telling me he was okay, telling me he wasn’t angry, telling me he wasn’t… whatever he was right now. But it wasn’t him. It was an unknown number.
Unknown:
Isabella… it’s me. Daniel. I need to talk to you. It’s important.
My breath caught. My fingers went cold. I stared at the message, unable to move, unable to breathe. My pulse ham
