~ LAUREN'S POV ~

I stared at myself in the bathroom mirror, trying to convince my reflection that everything was normal. That I was just a regular girl getting ready for work. Not someone whose boyfriend had come home last night with blood on his clothes and darkness in his eyes.

My phone buzzed against the marble countertop.

"Finally!" Sophia's voice filled the bathroom through the speaker. "I've been calling you for days. Where have you been hiding?"

"Sorry," I said, applying mascara with shaky hands. "Things have been... complicated."

"Complicated how? And don't you dare give me some vague answer? I'm your best friend, Lauren. I know when you're...