uminated the twisted me
ed by the deafening screech of tir
ckn
her
, the metallic tang of b
a horrifying glimpse of her parents, th
r lips, a fragile so
her
g her, dragging he
a kaleidoscope o
, si
disinfectant replacied tone, the word 'concussion
as cold and hollow as the hospital room. 'You focus on Elodie, we'll handle the funerals and keep
inst her ribs, a frantic dr
but her body remained paralysed, trapped
*
open, the dark room co
ck, vivid and terrifying, yet with a n
d said them, the strange glint
planted, a suspicion th
and grabbed her phone before
wake by the sharp buz
tal clock on her nightstand moc
the text, already bracing he
nging to his sculpted physique. Water droplets glistened on his bronzed skin, tracing lazy paths down the defi
e was clear. Dashiell, hers in name only, was flaunting
the anger churning in he
this ever-present reminder of her husband's betray
y a couple of times a week. But the memory of that fateful car crash, the icy grip of fear,
rmination, Elodie
dn't afford, not with the c
age, each a symbol of their opu
to any, a testament to her
es, the silence of the massive hous
f the gated community, the chill
of hope in the predawn d
re Suites was a blur o
solve battled within her. El
complice in her misery, had provi
whereabouts – the luxurious presidentia
passed the bewildered receptionist, h
e of the texts confirmed her suspi
arrying her closer to the inevitable confrontation. The doors ope
as t
and knocked, the sound ech
sed, broken only by the
ng a surprised Dashiell. 'Can't you see
confusion at the sight of his wife. '
me,' Elodie replied, her
t him, but his broad
e room. 'Elodie? Oh dear, we didn't mean fo
me the fake apologies. You wouldn't have sent me
tably, his face a mask of
taking in the luxurious s
tals, the lingering scent of sex – it all
ell, her gaze unwaveri
air, shattering the fragil
, a sense of closure washing
me was
e to recla