ds like a white-hot blade, stabbing Emilia right in the eyes. She gaspe

ach-the heat, the desperate, clawing touches, the complete and total loss

d sterile-white walls, a single chair in the corner, the steady beep of a heart mo

rk jeans, even a new pair of flats, all exactly her size. Beside them sat a glass of warm water, a thin wisp of stea

ense, sickening shame washing over her. She had done it aga

ast as her shaking hands would allow. She signed the discharge paperwork against medical advice-the nurse sighed but c

d her phone so tightly the edges bit into her palm. Her thumb hit the refresh

he balance remained

the dark-begged him-and he had taken her

and squeezed. She had been used. Again. Sh

lower abdomen. It felt like a serrated knife was twist

ut of her hand. A passerby-a woman in a business suit-shouted and pulled out her phone to dial 911. The dist

did a double take. "Emilia Sears? Wait, isn't she that architecture student from the university?" the nurse whispered loudly to a colleague, her eyes darting over Emilia's pale, sweating

c as Emilia's consciousness slipped awa