Chapter 49

OLIVIA'S POV When I woke, the first thing I felt was the pounding ache in my head. My body was stiff and weak—every breath was a struggle. I blinked through the dim, musty light as my eyes adjusted to the space. Cold concrete walls. A flickering light above. Chains. And her. The only familiar face I didn't want to see right now, with something sadistic glinting in her eyes. Evelyn. She stood before me like a ghost from my worst nightmares—elegant, poised, and grinning like a serpent who had finally swallowed its prey. She lit a cigarette, and instead of taking a puff, she pressed the burning end into my skin. "Finally awake, Sleeping Beauty," she drawled, arms crossed as she eyed me with mock sympathy. "You've been quite the handful, you know. I expected you to break sooner." My mouth was dry. I tried to speak, but only a rasp escaped. She crouched in front of me, brushing my hair back with mock tenderness. "You should see yourself," she whispered. "You look pathetic and I like it." "N