Chapter 24 She Forgets Anyways

• The morning came without softness. Victor was gone again. The sheets were cold, the room still, and the scent of him had already started to fade. Ivy stared at the ceiling for a few seconds after waking, listening for movement in the hallway. Nothing. Her body ached in all the places he had held her last night, but he hadn’t stayed long enough to offer warmth. He had taken what he wanted and left without a sound.
• She got up slowly, walked to the bathroom, and turned the tap on cold. The shock of the water against her skin cleared the last of the sleep from her eyes. She didn’t want to think about what last night had meant. She didn’t want to stand here and relive the way he had broken her with silence, then claimed her without a word.
• This was not the morning for that.