Chapter Twenty-Six

Aria At that moment when I saw him entering the room, the fear I felt crawling up my skin was something I had never felt. The terror was real; It surrounded me from every side. And the storm I was afraid of was standing right in front of me at the doorway. I couldn't even get myself to notice his expression or the regret in his eyes. My body proceeded before my mind could and I found myself clutching the blanket as tightly as possible, finding it the only thing that could cover me from his gaze. The feeling was terrifying. As he slowly locked the door and took a few steps closer, I backed away as much as I could. My back pressed against the hard wooden surface of the headboard. Suddenly breathing seemed like the most difficult task in the universe and the air felt heavier than stones. Each intake of breath I tried to take through my nose after it was difficult to breathe through my nose made my throat burn as if it was not the air instead, sandpaper scraping down my throat. My panic-f