Chapter 56 The Crack Beneath The Skin

• ZOE
• The air smelled of artificial lavender and confinement. That clinical scent of places that pretend to be homes but are designed to leave no trace. Ethan had insisted I rest in that bright upstairs room. It had a view of the garden, a large bed, sheets embroidered with our initials, and a shelf lined with perfectly labeled jars: vitamins, supplements, mild tranquilizers.
• And his love, of course. That docile, viscous love that slipped through my fingers every time I tried to hold it.