"The truth hurts, but secrets kill." - Unknown

Veronica

I stayed in my room all day, a prisoner of my own making. The shame, the humiliation, the sheer terror of what Julian had done… it was all swirling inside me, a toxic cocktail threatening to spill over. I couldn't face Saint. The thought of him knowing of seeing me that way in his mind, it made me sick to my stomach. But I knew I couldn't hide forever. He deserved the truth. He deserved to know what he was dealing with.

As dusk began to settle, I finally gathered the courage to leave my room. I needed to tell him everything, to lay bare the ugly truth, and hope he could still look at me without *pity*. But as I reached the landing, I heard voices coming from the living room. Saint and Marcus. Their words stopped me in my tracks.

“…parole hearing is in two weeks,” Saint was saying, his voice low and dangerous. “That bastard could be out in two weeks.”

“Two weeks?!” Marcus exclaimed. “Why the hell hadn’t he been informed?!”

“I know,” Saint interrupted, his voice laced with steel. “But the problem is… Julian and his accomplice from that night are both still locked up. So, who the hell is doing this?”

My breath hitched. He knew. He knew about Julian. He knew… everything. But if Julian was in jail, then who…? The image of him, of Saint, picturing me… "violated, broken… it was too much. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't stay there any longer.

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I turned and fled, tears streaming down my face. I ran out of the house, not knowing where I was going, just needing to escape the suffocating weight of my past. My feet carried me instinctively to Hayley’s. It was the only place I could think of where I might find some solace.

Hayley’s apartment was warm and inviting, filled with the comforting scent of jasmine and vanilla. She greeted me with a hug, her brow furrowed with concern. “Veronica, what’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

I couldn’t speak. The words were trapped in my throat, choked by tears and shame. I just shook my head, sinking onto her couch.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Hayley said softly, sitting beside me and taking my hand. “Whatever it is, you can tell me.”

I still couldn’t bring myself to speak about Julian about that night. Instead, I mumbled, “Just… a lot of stress lately.”

Hayley squeezed my hand. “Tell me about it. Maybe talking will help.”

We spent the next few hours talking, or rather, she talked, and I listened, nodding occasionally, trying to pretend I was present, that I wasn’t a million miles away, replaying the horrors of that night over and over in my head. Hayley, bless her heart, sensed my distress, and did her best to distract me, sharing silly anecdotes about her day, gossiping about mutual friends. “Oh my god, you won’t believe what Chad did at the office potluck,” she giggled, launching into a story about a disastrous chili cook-off. It helped, a little. Just being in her presence, surrounded by her warmth and laughter, it eased the ache in my chest, if only for a little while.

Later, as we were watching some mindless reality TV show, I got up to use the bathroom. “I’ll be right back,” I told Hayley, managing a weak smile.

“Okay,” she replied, not taking her eyes off the screen. “Don’t take too long. This is getting good!”

When I came out, I heard a thud coming from the living room. “Hayley?” I called out, my voice laced with concern.

No answer.

I hurried into the living room, and my blood ran cold. Hayley was lying on the floor, unconscious. My mind raced, trying to figure out what had happened. Had she fallen? Was she sick?

Before I could react, a figure emerged from the shadows. It was tall, their face obscured by a dark hood. They moved with a chillingly smooth grace, like a predator stalking its prey. Before I could even gasp, they lunged forward, a glint of metal flashing in their hand—a needle. I felt a sharp prick in my arm, and a burning sensation immediately spread through my veins, quickly followed by a wave of dizziness. My limbs grew heavy, my eyelids fluttered, and a strange numbness crept over me, silencing my panic and stealing my breath. I tried to fight it to stay awake, but the drug was working fast. My vision blurred, the room began to spin, and then… nothing. Everything went black.