MARIA.
"God damn it!"
The words never left my lips, but they roared violently inside my head, shattering every tiny thread of composure I had left.
I was exhausted, bone deep, soul deep, heart deep. Tired of the accusations. Tired of being pulled in different directions like a plaything. Tired of feeling like I didn't own my body, my thoughts, or my fate.
Why were they all determined to push me over the edge?
Aidan, with his burning heat and reckless lips. Vanessa, with her hatred sharp enough to carve flesh. Darren, returning like a nightmare I thought I'd left behind.
And Damien, dragging me away like I was property just to belittle me, humiliate me, scream at me like I was some filth who dared breathe his air.
He didn't understand that every word thrown at me had weight. Every demand, every order, every insult scraped against wounds that hadn't even begun to heal.
