Chapter 41

Shannon

The morning came too slowly.

I didn’t sleep much. My eyes were swollen, my throat dry, and my body heavy like I had been crying for days. The room still felt cold, even though the sun had started to shine through the curtains. I could see little streaks of light dancing on the floor, but they didn’t make me feel warm.

The moment I opened my eyes, I remembered everything — the noise from last night, the laughter, the woman’s voice, and Evan’s deep tone mixing with hers. I remembered how my heart broke while I sat alone in this locked room, begging for the pain to...