t, every nerve ending screaming. The humiliation was a physical pain, a weight pressing down on her chest, making it h

ad left her. He had watched her beg, watched her humiliate herself, and he had walke

spiral of heat and agony. She crawled toward the nightstand, her fingers shaking as she fumbled for her phone. She couldn't

ious research institute, the one that had developed the cure. He had been impressed by her resilience during the trial, by her knowledge of the medical processes s

She pressed call, the sound of the ringing a s

nswered on the second ri

tumbling out in a rush. "I need help. The cure...

nent one. We can reverse the side effects, help you reclaim your health. And we can offer you the position you previously rejected. A new life as a medical research

ing garage, their intentions clear and ugly. Ethan had appeared out of nowhere. He had fought them off, shielding her with his own body,

ft her to be tortured by her own body was not the ma

ing in her heart with the cold weight of a s

an address to a private clinic on the other side o

ernel of resolve was forming in its eye. She would not die here. She would not let them win. She would erase Ava Miller, the hopeful artist, the loving wife, the pathetic, tw