ISABELLA
Something cold splashed against my skin, then followed by a sharp sting.
At first, I thought it was a dream just a lingering echo of fear in my veins but then it happened again.
The unmistakable shock of cold water, seeping through my clothes, trickling down my neck, and my back… soaking me in an icy wake-up call.
My eyelids fluttered open, heavy like stone. My head throbbed in pulses, each beat a cruel reminder of the blow that had taken me out.
A scraping noise followed. Harsh. Metallic. Like steel dragging across the cement.
I blinked, trying to make sense of the blur in front of me. The lights above flickered bare bulbs in a ceiling far too high for comfort. The air smelled of rust and damp earth.
Then my eyes trailed down to the culprit, Leonardo. My body stiffened, every nerve screaming.
So it wasn't a nightmare. It was real.
