Chapter 8

After Cecilia was detained, my life changed completely My parents thought my habit of begging and kneeling was unhealthy, so they brought me to see a therapist. That was when my deeper trauma surfaced. When Jack found out, guilt ate him alive, and he apologized over and over. He still remembered the night he hit me. That evening, I watched him slap himself across the face, again and again, until his cheeks were red and swollen. Looking at his swollen face, I didn't feel anything. Even though he had cleared my name, I couldn't bring myself to care. Life slowly began to return to normal. I focused on therapy, went back to school, and tried to start fresh. A year later, Cecilia was released. She found me outside the school gates. The moment I saw her, I turned and ran, but she caught up easily. "Why are you running away from me, Yelena?" I frowned and looked back at her. "If I don't run, am I supposed to just stand here and let you kill me?" She laughed, a sharp, ugly sound, then