Page 1 of The Truth Between

1

IRIS

Asob fell from my lips. I hated that I couldn’t control my emotions.

My hand trembled as I reached out to rub my face. My skin felt damp. I wasn’t sure why. Had I started to sweat at some point last night? But that didn’t make sense. The thin blanket, flimsy pillow, and shitty mattress I’d slept on didn’t seem to hold much warmth, not to mention this room was cool and mostly dark.

Except for now.

I looked up toward the source of light breaking through the darkness. It was shining in from the small windows near the ceiling and told me that day had broken. I wished they were an option as an escape plan. They were too tiny for me to fit through, but even if I could have gotten through, there were some iron bars strategically placed across them. This only further confirmed that it wasn’t a way out. I was a prisoner here.

The light allowed me to see the set of stairs that I was convinced would lead me to salvation. From what I saw, it was the only way out of this room, and somehow, some way, I needed to figure out a way to get there. But with me chained to this wall, the chance of getting to that door was basically zero.

What the hell was all of this?

It had to all be a bad dream. There was no other way I could describe it. Any second now, I would wake up from all this and be in my bed in my dorm room at Westwick University. Maybe Gran would surprise me with some of her homemade treats and spend the day with me on campus.

But I knew that was a lie. This whole situation was well suited for a nightmare that had flipped and become my new reality. Remaining positive was pointless. There was nothing happy or go-lucky about this.

I was in hell.

I shifted my foot and felt the gentle resistance due to the chain wrapped around my ankle, another reminder about where I was. I was being held captive by a man who had gone so far as to become my professor in order to stalk me. A man who had no issue with breaking into my dorm to stare at me when I was supposed to be asleep. Someone who I’d let fuck me until it felt like I couldn’t breathe.

And the moments we shared, where he was telling me all those filthy things? They were the only times I liked him. The only times that I wished that the circumstances that we met under were different.

I shifted my body until I was leaning up against the cool wall and took a deep breath. But all I could smell was the musty air that surrounded me. A slight headache was beginning to form, but there was nothing I could do about it. Finding a way to alert Soren that I wasn’t feeling well was out of the question. It would be showing weakness, something I couldn’t afford to disclose.

There were so many things and factors that I didn’t know about this situation, making it hard to wrap my head around it. Then again, I was pretty fucking traumatized about what had happened. I wanted to ask why he had chosen me of all people, but prior to him stalking me, I’d only seen him once that I could remember. Being alone with my own thoughts has helped me piece together why this might be.

It was obvious to me that he was somehow connected to the Chevaliers because he was at the party. He’d also known who Eddison Payne was. He mentioned how I would never stop digging to find what I perceived to be the truth.

And he was damn right.

However, what didn’t make sense was why wait for the party? He could have easily taken me from my dorm room or from my class.

The only thing I could think of was that he was trying to keep me from finding anything related to Payne in Chevalier Manor. For that, I couldn’t fault him because it had been my mission all along.

As I shifted my legs, once again becoming physically aware of the cuff around my ankle, my stomach growled. I placed my hands on my belly and cringed. I didn’t know the last time I’d eaten a full meal. Someone had left food for me yesterday, but I’d barely touched it. That was feeling more and more like a mistake and could be feeding into the headache that was slowly becoming stronger. I swallowed hard to try to ignore the hunger pains I was feeling. I knew that I needed to eat something, but—

My thoughts were cut off when I heard footsteps overhead. I could hear them going back and forth, back and forth. Every time the steps grew closer overhead, the panic within me grew. Maintaining a sense of calm wasn’t an option; however, the only thing I could focus on in order to not completely spiral was to wonder if that was him pacing, wondering what the hell he was going to do with me. Because, at some point, he had to do something.

Right? Of course he had to make his move. He couldn’t keep me down here forever.

But it felt as if I was just trying to convince myself more than anything else.

Even though there was plenty of space in this room, the suffocating feeling that weighed heavy on my chest was strong. Part of me yearned to try to reach the door or the windows, but even if I wasn’t chained to the wall, I would draw attention to myself before I could snap my fingers. And based on my experience, Soren Grant would have no issue killing me where I was.

But I couldn’t just sit here and not try to do something. But what?

My mind raced, trying to think of different ways I could get out of this situation. Maybe if I screamed for help, then someone would come and find me? But I didn’t know exactly where I was. And did I want to alert him if it actually was him walking around upstairs? Also, who knew how well sound could travel within these walls?

I turned slightly and used my fist to knock on the wall behind me. It sounded solid, making me lose even more hope. There was no way I would be able to break through it.

But I refused to give up.

I started brainstorming other ideas and remembered, once more, the chain around my ankle. I moved my leg to see how much resistance was there. Were there any weak points in the chain? Was there some type of object nearby that I could slam into it?

I knew there was no way for me to slip this cuff over my foot. Its grip was snug, likely on purpose. Maybe if I found some sharp objects in the room, like a nail or screwdriver, I could use them to try to loosen it enough until it snapped?

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