Page 2 of The Truth Between

I carefully scanned the area, but I didn’t see much and definitely nothing within arm’s distance.

Fuck.

With a deep breath, I slowly stood, bracing my weight on the wall so that I wouldn’t fall. I was still wobbly from the lack of food, but I didn’t crash to the floor once I was fully upright so that was a win. I heard the chain clank, reminding me of my imprisonment and what was at stake every second that I remained here. There was one room that I hadn’t explored yet that might be my last opportunity to escape.

Soren ensured that I couldn’t slip the cuff off my ankle, but he’d also made sure that he gave me enough chain to use the bathroom unassisted. I’d been in the bathroom a few times, but I hadn’t taken the time to fully explore.

Chances were, there wasn’t anything in there that would help me. I could only assume that he or someone on his team had done a thorough job of clearing out anything that might be used as a tool or a weapon.

Before I could move, I adjusted my clothes—the same gown I’d worn to the Chevalier Masquerade Ball. I could only imagine the state it was in, as well as how I must look. As I began to walk, my chain dragged behind me, sounding louder than necessary in the empty space I was in. Each step I took felt precious because I didn’t know what was waiting on the other side.

I stepped inside the small, separate room and flipped the light switch. The light didn’t do much to illuminate the space and it was obvious the area had been neglected, much like the room I was trapped in. I closed the door behind me just in case Soren had some sort of camera system and was watching my every move. There was the potential that he’d also put cameras in here, which disgusted me, but this was a risk I needed to take.

I scanned the cracked tiles and the rusted faucet and sink with new eyes. When I’d come in here to use it, I did my best to get in and get out because this room gave me the creeps more than the rest of the basement. He’d been nice enough to put soap and hand towels in here for me to wash my hands, but that was as far as his generosity went. Now, I was looking for something, anything, that could be the light at the end of the tunnel for me. However, on its surface, this room was bare, probably as bare as Soren’s soul.

My eyes stared at my reflection, the age and state of the mirror reflecting everything I felt about being trapped here. I glanced down at the sink and found nothing but a cool ceramic surface. I bent down and opened the drawers below the sink, but I was only met with disappointment. There was nothing in them.

Reality slammed into me, almost taking my breath away even though this was what I had expected would happen. Soren had done exactly what I thought he would do, and I shouldn’t have been shocked. However, having that last bit of hope snatched from my grasp wasn’t something I had prepared for.

I placed my hands on both sides of the sink and leaned against it, trying to come to terms with the situation at hand. I hadn’t expected any of this to be easy, but having the door slammed in my face still stung.

What else could I do?

I refused to believe there was nothing. I was missing something. Maybe there was a mistake he’d made, a detail he’d overlooked that would give me the opportunity I needed to strike. After all, he was human, and we all made mistakes. My eyes flew shut and I let my head fall forward as I gritted my teeth in frustration. There was a war going on inside of me and I didn’t know which side would be victorious.

What I did know was that my chances of getting out of here seemed to be growing smaller with every breath I took. Seconds ticked by as I tried to think of a solution, finding none. The only thing that was flashing through my mind was when he appeared at my side at the Chevalier Masquerade Ball. The shadow he cast over me when I was talking to Raven and Nash. The way his touch felt against my skin while we danced. How the tension in the air only increased when we left the dance floor and ended up in the library of the manor.

Where we…

A tear dropped from my face, and I angrily wiped it away. Soren didn’t deserve my tears, and I refused to give them to him.

My eyes snapped open, and I jumped slightly when I heard more footsteps overhead. I turned to flush the toilet and turned on the faucet to wash my hands, pretending that was what I’d been doing the entire time.

The last thing I wanted to do was alert anyone in the house to what I was doing.

I quickly dried off my hands and looked around the room once more in hopes of finding something. When I came up empty-handed once more, I put the towel back, opened the door, and turned out the lights.

As I walked back into the main area of the basement, something caught my eye. In the corner of the room, closest to the bathroom door, there was something resting on the floor. I bent down to pick it up and stared at the folded-up piece of paper in my hand.

Before I could open it, I heard something loud hit the floor above me.

My heart began to race as I wrapped my fist around the piece of paper. I walked as quickly as I could back to the mattress and blanket I’d been using to sleep. With my hands still shaking, I sat there, my body trembling with fear. Part of me wanted to know what was going on up there, but the other part of me wanted whatever was happening to stay on that floor.

I clenched the piece of paper in my hand as I waited to see if another sound followed the loud bang. I was convinced that the air in the basement was growing thicker and an almost suffocating feeling was taking over. The sound of my breathing filled the room until one sound stopped it all: footsteps growing closer to the door that would lead whoever it was down to me.

2

IRIS

Iwas willing to swear that every step I heard was forcing my heart to jump into my throat. There was no doubt in my mind that whoever was standing on the other side of that door was about to come down here. At the last moment, I opened my hand discreetly, glanced down at the folded piece of paper and as smoothly as possible, shifted my body so that I was now sitting on the note. The last thing I wanted was for it to be taken away from me before I had a chance to read it.

Once I was settled, I sat as still as possible. The only sound that cut through the silence was the footsteps that were approaching the door. Thoughts slammed through my mind at a million miles an hour as I tried to prepare for the unexpected. But there was no way I could mentally pull myself together for something I didn’t know was coming. If it was Soren on the other side of that door, I was screwed. The sight of him would send me into a frenzy, and I knew that would lead to me not being able to think straight.

The sound of distant footsteps grew closer until they slowed just outside the door, but my heart rate didn’t. I bit my lip so hard I swore I could taste blood. After swiping my tongue along my lips, I swallowed hard as I waited for the door to open. When I heard what sounded like a doorknob turning, my heart moved from my throat to my stomach. I grabbed the blanket that lay next to me and placed it over my legs, covering the large split in the gown that I still had on. The door began to move, and I wished I’d thought to pretend I was asleep sooner.

Then again, given my experiences with Soren, what had pretending to be asleep gotten me? Soren had only called me out because he knew I hadn’t been.

But it wasn’t Soren who entered the room.

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