Aurora’s POVThe nightmares came relentlessly, night after night, like a shadow that refused to be banished by the daylight.I would jolt awake in the dead of night, gasping for air, my heart hammering against my ribs in that terrifying, irregular flutter my doctor had warned me about since childhood. In the dreams, Jake’s hands were always on me — rough, insistent, pinning me to that cold wooden chair in the damp warehouse while he forced the manipulated photo of Theo and Cassie in front of my eyes. The gag in my mouth tasted of dust and fear, muffling my screams into pathetic whimpers. The ropes burned my wrists raw with every desperate tug. His mocking laugh echoed through the empty space, growing louder, more sinister. Sometimes the nightmare twisted further: Theo never came. Jake succeeded. I was alone, exposed to the world, my secret love with Theo broadcast for everyone to see and judge. The shame, the terror, the betrayal — it all crashed over me until I woke up sobbing, body
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