Worth a lot

The first three days were excruciating to get through for Violet, and it only got worse. The only reprieve she got was that, for some reason, the guards hadn't been allowed to unlock the cell. Their insults grew nastier each day as they flashed their bodies at her every time they delivered food a dog wouldn't dare to eat.

Most days, Violet cried until there were no more tears left to shed, sitting on the filthy ground, unable to do anything about her circumstances. She couldn't even bring herself to hope that Cain would somehow find her, considering she had been the one to leave of her own volition.

On the fourth day, too weak to stand, Violet leaned against the wall, not knowing what time of day it was and mostly not caring. She kept her blank gaze fixed on the opposite wall until she heard footsteps—slow and deliberate—growing louder until they stopped in front of her cell.