Chapter 27

But from the very moment I arrived home, when my father glared at me with clear malicious intent in his cruel gaze and ordered me to go to my room and wait for him, I regretted not having taken matters into my own hands. Regardless of the shameful looks I might have faced from the one man I cared about, I should have simply gone to that damned cliff and put an end to it all.

If I had just done that, I wouldn't be nestled in the cold, damp basement, my back against the wall, my arms wrapped tightly around my legs pulled up against my chest, staring unblinkingly at the wall across from me, frozen in terror.

It had started to rain a while ago; the clouds darkened the little light available in my room, amplifying the sense of doom and gloom that loomed over me. It also ushered in a biting chill that seeped into my bones. I knew tonight would be another frigid ordeal, full of shivering, but I doubted the cold would be the sole reason for my trembling and sleeplessness.