The dam broke. The last frayed thread of my composure snapped, and a heavy, jagged sob tore from my chest. Hot, stinging tears flooded my eyes, spilling over my burning cheeks and dripping onto the dusty floorboards beneath my face. I shook violently, my bound wrists pressing into my stomach as the sheer, suffocating weight of my reality crushed what little strength I had left.
I looked up at him through a blurred lens of terror and grief, my voice cracking into a raw, desperate weep.
"Why, Jason?" I cried out, the words thick with the agony of a woman who had fought so hard just to breathe, only to be dragged right back into the dark. "Why can't you just leave me alone?!"
Jason didn't flinch. The smug, arrogant grin stayed plastered on his face, his arm still wrapped possessively aroun
