Chapter 4
ANYA
My eyelids are so damn heavy I can’t get them to open. It’s like they’re stuck together, glued. The rest of my body is like lead, and I thank God the mattress I’m lying on is so soft. I doze off for a while, then wake up from a dreamless sleep once more.
This time, though my eyelids are still hesitant on opening, I manage to blink awake. The room is dimly lit, the only source of light spilling from under the closed door. Slowly, I sit up, testing my aching head and my swimming stomach. Why do I feel so bad? What happened?
I shove the sheets off and get to my feet. Though my head hurts, it’s not so bad I can’t get up. I reach for the curtains to my side and... The window is not there. I blink a couple of times, staring at the wardrobe to my right. This is not mine. Where is my window?
Shooting a look over my shoulder, I find the window on another wall. My heartbeat picking up, I rush to the curtains and shove them open. My head swims with questions, and I whirl around once the sunlight spills into the room.
This is not my room. Oh my God, this is not my room.
The walls are plain white, not the soft peach color my mother insisted we should use in the bedrooms. A single-person bed, not my queen-sized, takes the middle of the small space, a wardrobe to one side, and...
That’s it. It’s much simpler and much smaller than my own. And I have no idea where I am.
Memories of yesterday drift back. The guy named Adrian and wanting to make Bash jealous.
I chatted with Adrian for what felt like too long, and he made jokes that didn’t make me laugh.
We shared a drink, and I looked over my shoulder at the crowd, thinking of dancing the night away, and then the world tilted.
He drugged me. Yeah, that Adrian jerk drugged me. He tried to get me away from the bar. Shit, is this his place? My hands shake, adrenaline shooting into my veins. I don’t feel violated in any way, and my clothes are still in place, but... What if...?
I run to the door and yank it open, ready to face whoever brought me here. Ready to put up a fight. I don’t stand up near enough to my parents, but this? This is too much. I won’t allow anyone to use me, to hurt me like this.
The living room is also small and simple, and it’s empty. A two-seater couch and a four-seater dining table to one side. The front door is made of dark wood, different from the inner doors. I find the kitchen, so I make my way to the bathroom, the one door still closed.
He has to be here. This Adrian guy has to be inside the bathroom. If I’m quiet enough, fast enough, I might catch him off guard. I might force the truth out of him and land a punch or two.
Gripping the doorknob, I steel myself for an attack. I grind my teeth together, glaring at the wood, imagining the man who might have broken me there. Rage bubbles inside me. My hand closes in a fist.
I throw the door open and look for Adrian. There’s a man inside, but it’s not who I expected. My eyes go round, my heart skipping a beat in realization.
Bash. It’s Bash. And he’s completely naked.