Chapter 39

STELLA’s POV When I woke up the next morning, Tyler was gone and I was drenched in sweat, completely incapable of breathing through my nose. I tried to get up from the bed and went to shower, even though there were black spots in my vision when I moved my head too quickly, and I put on jeans, even though my bones ached and I want nothing more than to curl up in sweat pants, and I forced myself to sit at my table reading the essay I did on Literature while my temples throbbed and my eyes burned. I put the paper inside the drawer of my table and made my way slowly to the kitchen to cook breakfast for Aunt Lucy and Debra. I was cleaning the counter when I heard Aunt Lucy’s voice behind me, putting on her black shoe. “Stella, I have a visitor tonight. Wear something nice and show your real face.” Real face? Does she mean, no eyeglasses and big curly wig? “But why? I thought—“ “Don’t ask me anything because I don’t have time to answer your questions. Just follow everything that I say.” She