L

drow

was fighting the panic too. The trauma dragged me under like a phy

ormented by bullies who thought it was fun

el their small, cruel hands forcing my head down. I remembered t

the water

s my greatest fear-he had pushed me into it. H

ngry. He was try

der and colder than the

tory end in this dark, silent deep. I refused to let my revenge

chest screamed for oxygen, and my vision bl

sank, my body growing heavier with every passing second, my silk dress

ase

the darkness crawled closer, w

I wanted to call my fath

to them when they warned me. I should have listened when they fought against this mar

ould

plash. Dist

d he finally remember who I wa

d

ed me before I cou

the rhythmic beep of a monito

ike it was made of lead and my head pounding with a thrum. The sharp, ster

pit

e ceiling, the edges blurred. Slowly, my gaze drifted down to a nurs

like it had been scrubbed with sa

rushed to my side. "Hey, Miss Elara

eakly, swallowing again

d a hand behind my head to support me, tilting the straw to m

sked softly, her eyes full o

rist gently with a trembling hand. "Ca

ering to the monitors, torn b

y, trying to find a spark of my o

sted the bed, the motor wh

k against the thin pillows. "Has anyo

ed. "And yes, the gentleman who brought you

art twisted with a

s he's your friend. You

e died a cold death. Cass

ticed I was missing. He was the only one who ever looked for me. He must have foll

under my lids befor

m again, the nurs

anywhere? Should

ething a doctor could fix. It lived in the

itude. Cassius had saved me from

ame earlier, too," she adde

anyone checked the CCTV, or had Shawn already erased the eviden

ked for my phone. She retrieved it from

nk y

d remembrance slammed into my

t. The double re

out, my voice cra

sion shifting into somethin

to my stomach, trembling. "

r lashes dropped, her gaze

s the only ans

ed my stomach. My breath hitched, my chest coll

to comfort me, I shook my head

econd, then quietly s

finall

fat hot ears soaked the thin hospital gown, the sheets, and my shaking ha

killed my baby. He had snuffed out a life while my o

could he be so heartless to the

through my contacts, my blurred vision stopping at a

a

rry this weight alone anymore. If I t

before a deep, fami

el

my lower lip until I tasted coppe

eavy paus

la

ad

rning into intuition as he heard my agonizing sobs. "Elar

nd I could hear my oldest brother in the ba

re! Talk to me! Did that ba

uldn't breathe, let alone explain the horror of the last few hours. I

bab

, I typed out the name of

brothers, I would tell them

them help me burn Shaw