The sound of her own heels echoed down the polished hallway as Iris walked toward his office for the third night. Her chest ached with a tension that wouldn’t leave. Every step she took felt like walking deeper into something she had no way of escaping. She told herself this wasn’t her choice. She told herself this was for her father. But she also knew the truth: it wasn’t just his threats pulling her back here. It was the heat that had burned through her body when his fingers touched her. It was the way he made her shiver without raising his voice. It was the way her body gave itself away every time he came close.
The receptionist wasn’t there tonight. The entire floor was quiet, the kind of quiet that wrapped around her like invisible hands. His office door was closed but not locked. It
