Chapter 55

Valerie's POV

“I thought I was done with these stupid panic attacks.” I thought to myself as I fought to keep my tears at bay.

I had to take a minute to calm down, and reduce the pace of my breathing. I was scared out of my mind, the only thing that kept echoing in my head was how I got beat-up and kidnapped a while ago. 

I tried to convince myself that it was a thing of the past and I was safe but my body wasn't accepting the fact. I thought I was over the attack but I guess it took being put in a similar position to show that my healing journey was far from over.

I could still feel my pulse pounding in my temples, and my hands were shaking slightly. I closed my eyes, focusing on the sound of my own breathing. I tried to slow down my heart rate, to calm my frazzled nerves. 

But my mind kept replaying the sensation of the hand over my mouth, the feeling of being trapped and helpless. I ran my hands along the length of my arms