Gwen’s footsteps echoed softly across the room as she paced, her heart beating so hard it felt like it might rip through her chest. Panic clawed at her throat, each breath shallow, quick. She couldn’t stay here. Not another second. Not with Liam’s voice still echoing in her mind, not with Marcus watching her every move like a predator waiting to pounce.
Escape. She needed to escape.
Her eyes darted to the door—solid, bolted shut from the outside. They had locked her in like an animal, leaving her with nothing but silence and her spiraling fear. Slowly, her trembling hands pushed the bed frame across the room, the legs scraping against the wooden floor. She shoved it until it blocked the door completely.
“If they’ve locked me out,” she whispered to herself, voice shaking, “then I’ll lock
