Chapter 77

• The footsteps came to an abrupt stop outside the door.
• I didn’t move. Neither of us did. The air hung heavy with anticipation. The silence was suffocating, almost too thick to breathe in. My heart pounded, but it wasn’t fear that gripped me. It was the feeling of power, the delicate, dangerous thrill of watching someone unravel before me, piece by piece.
• Rochelle’s breath was shallow beneath the gag, and I could feel her pulse racing against my fingers. But I wasn’t done. Not yet. She still needed to understand. She needed to see how weak she truly was, how little control she had over her own fate.