Chapter 37 Watched In The Dark

• (POV: Isabela)
• Dark water closed over my head. Thick. Heavy. Suffocating. I fought with all my might, needing air, needing to see light. But something unseen held me fast. It dragged me further into the cold dark, deeper and deeper. A hand clamped my ankle, tight as metal, pulling me under, under, under. I thrashed, trying to look back, trying to find out what strong thing was taking me.
• Through the swirling dark water, I saw him. Mateo. His eyes met mine, cold, still, as I choked and drowned. He didn't fight the water; he was the dark deep. His hand crushed my ankle, pulling me down, no escape. Raw panic burned my throat, my lungs on fire. No! Let me go! The scream was trapped inside me, soundless bubbles rising towards a surface I couldn’t reach. The pressure built, crushing me. Water filled my mouth, my nose. The rough wall scraped against my back—no, wait, that wasn't water, it was the safe house wall—his hands pinning me, his body heavy, violating—