The long drive almost lulled Yvienna to sleep as the cold night air brushed harshly against her face. She had rolled the window down earlier, wanting not only to see the view but to feel it—the sting of the wind, the chill crawling over her skin. She needed the cold. She needed something strong enough to quiet the chaos inside her chest.
She thought maybe the breeze would calm the frantic rhythm of her heart.
For years, she had hated the idea of being controlled. She despised the thought of someone dictating her choices, bending her will to their own. She had once been a princess—the spoiled, treasured daughter of loving parents. Everything she wanted, she was given. Everything she feared, they shielded her from.
Then, like a cruel flash of lightning, the image of her father forced itself into her mind.
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
