Chapter 109

Claire's POV The woman staring back at me from the bathroom mirror was a stranger. Seven days of isolation had carved hollows beneath my cheekbones that makeup couldn't disguise, and my clothes hung loose on a frame that had shed weight I couldn't afford to lose. Dark circles shadowed my eyes despite the endless hours I'd spent lying awake in the king-sized bed, staring at the ceiling and counting the minutes until I could reasonably call it morning. I touched my reflection with trembling fingers, barely recognizing the gaunt features that had replaced my familiar face. When had I stopped eating proper meals? When had sleep become this elusive thing that danced just beyond my reach? The beautiful apartment had become a tomb, and I was slowly disappearing inside it. My phone buzzed insistently from the nightstand, displaying three missed calls from my mother. The sight of her name on the screen sent a wave of guilt crashing through my chest. She'd been trying to reach me for days, proba