Sara
Sara woke before the sun had fully risen.
Her body ached the moment she tried to move.
Every muscle felt stiff, and the burning pain across her back reminded her immediately of what had happened the night before.
She closed her eyes for a moment, forcing herself to breathe through it.
Don’t cry.
She had cried enough.
Slowly, she pushed herself up from the bed and walked to the mirror.
The reflection staring back at her made her stomach tighten.
Dark bruises marked the side of her neck where Tom had grabbed her. Thin red lines trailed across her shoulders and upper back where the whip had struck.
Sara swallowed hard.
“If I stay here,” she whispered quietly to herself, “I’ll completely break.”
She opened the drawer and pulled out a soft scarf, wrapping it carefully around h
