Chapter 37

• Ariel laid perfectly still inside her room, staring at the ceiling. She had not slept. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the same thing: images of her life falling apart, her mother’s crying face, and Luther being led away in handcuffs. The piercing sound of her morning alarm finally began to blare from her nightstand. It felt like a physical blow to her head.
• Ariel reached out with a trembling hand and silenced the noise. Her phone was right there, lying beside her pillow like a venomous snake. She had been checking it obsessively every twenty minutes throughout the long, dark night. She had been waiting for the next strike, the next threatening message from the person who was so determined to tear her world down.
• The 48-hour deadline was no longer a far-off problem. It was now less than 24 hours away. The clock was ticking, and with every second, the weight on her chest grew heavier, making it hard to even take a deep breath.