Please, Trust Me

The mansion was suffocating.

Daniel sat at the edge of his bed, his fingers brushing against the choker clasped tightly around his neck. It pulsed faintly with a shimmer of Tessa's telekinetic energy, a reminder of her dominance over him. He hated it, the cool touch of the material burning into his pride. Yet, he endured, his mind working tirelessly to find an opening, a way out—not for himself, but for Claire.

She needed hope, even if he had none left to give.

He glanced at the faint glow of his watch. It was almost time.

+

Claire sat in the dimly lit storage room, her head resting against the cold wall. The space was cramped and barren, but it had become her refuge in a world that no longer made sense. Her fingers fidgeted with a strand of her hair as her mind replayed Tessa's taunts over and over again.

"You've lost."

The words were knives, cutting deeper each time she remembered them.