Chapter 61

I woke up several times, but only to more pain. Each time I opened my eyes, his fists were there. He hit me everywhere—my face, my ribs, my stomach. He told me I deserved it. He said I tried to take what belonged to Tessa.

He kept giving me wolfsbane. It burned through my veins, and I knew it was stopping my body from healing. I was weak. If he didn't kill me soon, I would simply bleed to death on this cold floor.

Part of me hoped he would just finish it. I didn’t want to be here anymore. I didn’t want his filthy hands to touch me again.

In a strange way, I started to like the darkness. When I passed out and everything went black, the beating stopped. He wasn't screaming at me in the dark. He wasn't touching me in the dark. There was no physical pain there—just silence.

But every time I drifted away, a small part of my soul fought to stay alive. I screamed out into the emptiness, hoping my voice could somehow reach the only man who coul