Even hearing his name made my skin crawl, my throat close up.
I stepped back slowly, careful not to make a sound.They couldn’t know.They couldn’t dig into that part of my life.That nightmare.
Although Nicola was gone — dead — I still couldn’t face what he’d done to me.I couldn’t let anyone else face it either.
By the time I made it back downstairs, my chest was heaving.
“Hey, where did you go?”Leyla asked as I approached the couch, snapping me out of my daze.
“I...uh...I went to use the restroom,” I lied.
Leyla nodded easily, turning to Mia again.
“Mia,” I said softly, “I think I’m going to head to bed.”
Her expression shifted instantly, concern replacing her smile.
“Are you sure?”
“Y-Yeah.You stay — I’ll be fine.”
Mia hesitated for a moment, studying me.I could tell she wasn’t convinced, but she didn’t push.She gave a small nod instead.
I walked back to the house alone.The night air was heavy and cool, the sky fading to dark.
When I finally reached the bed, I curled beneath the sheets, clutching the blanket to my chest.But no matter how tightly I held it, the unease wouldn’t leave me.
Something was stirring again — deep, buried, dangerous.
And as I lay there, trembling in the quiet, one thought kept repeating in my head:
They’re going to find out.
And when they do...everything will fall apart.
CHAPTER 23
