Chapter 5

The door to the room slammed shut, the sound of the bolt sliding into place echoing the finality of my situation. They had taken my clothes, my belongings, everything. They left me in a thin, scratchy gown in a room that was cold and bare.

A moment later, a bucket of ice-cold water drenched me, shocking the air from my lungs. I gasped, shivering, as a large, brutish orderly stood over me, the empty bucket in his hand.

"Mr. Rosario said you needed to cool off," the man grunted, a cruel smirk on his face. "Said you've been a very bad girl."

He threw a bowl of what looked like slop onto the floor. "Eat up. Special instructions."

The smell of spoiled food turned my stomach. I vomited, the bile burning my throat. The mess splattered on the orderly's shoes.

His face darkened with rage. He grabbed the front of my gown, his knuckles brushing against my skin, sending a wave of revulsion through me.

"You little bitch," he snarled, his face uncomfortably close. "You think you're too good for this? I know all about you. The rich girl playing house with her guardian."

His eyes roamed my body, lingering in a way that made my skin crawl. "He must've had a good time with you. But you're here now. And in here, I'm the one in charge."

He leaned in, his foul breath washing over me. "Maybe you and I can have some fun, huh? I can be a lot nicer than him."

I felt a suffocating wave of despair. I scrambled backward, away from his leering face and grasping hands, until my back hit the cold, unforgiving wall. There was nowhere to run.

"Get away from me," I hissed, my voice shaking.

He laughed, a low, guttural sound. "Playing hard to get? I like that. But don't pretend you're some innocent little virgin. Everyone knows what you are."

My mind reeled. What I had shared with Aidan, I had considered love. Twisted and painful, yes, but it was mine. To hear it spoken of so crudely, by this stranger, was a violation that cut deeper than any physical blow.

His hand reached for me.

I refused to be a victim. Not again.

My eyes darted around the room. No weapons. The windows were barred. But the curtains... they were old and thick.

In a flash of desperate inspiration, I lunged for the window, yanking the heavy curtain from its rod. In one fluid motion, I looped the thick fabric around the orderly's neck and pulled with all my might.

He choked, his eyes bulging in surprise and rage. I used the momentum to kick him hard in the stomach, sending him staggering backward.

"You're dead!" he gasped, clawing at the fabric around his neck. "I'll kill you!"

He started to scream for help.

I didn't wait. I ran.

I couldn't wait for Aidan to "save" me. He was the one who put me here. He was the monster. If I stayed, I would lose my mind, my dignity, and my baby.

My bare feet slapped against the cold linoleum floor of the hallway. The walls were high, topped with barbed wire and an electric fence. A prison designed to keep people in.

I would rather be torn to shreds by that wire than spend another second in this hell.

My hands, already bruised, were raw and bleeding as I climbed. Pain was a distant roar. All I could think about was the tiny life inside me. For my baby, I would endure anything.

I used to think Aidan was my savior. Whenever I was in trouble, he would appear, a dark angel to rescue me. But as I hauled my aching body over the top of that wall, I knew with absolute certainty: this time, I had to save myself.

I dropped to the ground on the other side, the impact jarring every bone in my body. I stumbled through the dark streets, a ghost in a hospital gown, until I saw it.

A huge electronic billboard in the city square. And my face was on it.

No, not just my face. It was a video. A private moment, stolen and twisted into a public spectacle. It was a recording of me and Aidan, in bed. There was no nudity, but the audio... my voice, soft and breathless, saying his name, whispering things meant only for him.

The sound of my own vulnerability, my own love, broadcast for the entire city to hear, was the ultimate humiliation. The man who had vowed to protect me had stripped me bare and thrown me to the wolves.