HAZEL
I woke to cold sweat drenching my sheets. The room spun, and for a moment I couldn't remember where I was. Then it all came rushing back.
Baruch.
The syringe.
His words, cutting deeper than any blade.
"Who could ever love you?""
I pressed my palms against my eyes, trying to block out the memory. My body felt wrong. Disconnected. Like someone had replaced my bones with something hollow and unstable.
I had to find him.
I threw the sheets off and tried to stand. My legs buckled immediately. I grabbed the bedpost, fingers digging into the wood as the room tilted. Everything felt loose, like my joints had forgotten how to hold together properly.
The drug... Whatever he'd given me was still working through my system.
I stumbled toward the door, using the wall for support. My hand found the doorknob and I wrenched it open.
"Where are you?" The scream tore out of my throat, raw and jagged. "You monster! Show yourself!"
