The Second Time

'Damn it,' Emma thought, shutting her eyes tight, frustrated at not finding anything she could use to end it all. Her heart pounded as she glanced around desperately, her mind grasping for a solution.

She bit her lip, holding back the urge to cry one more time. 'Would The Whitmores notice if something happened to me?' She prayed silently that someone might notice her absence after their dinner event ended.

"You look stuck, Miss Whitmore," Damien said suddenly, his voice closer than she expected. She flinched, opening her eyes to find him crouching in front of her, his dark gaze sent goosebumps all over Emma's body.

"Having trouble thinking of a way out?" he continued, his tone casual, as if this was all a game to him. "Want to know something?"

Startled by his proximity, Emma instinctively leaned back. "I don't think I want to know anything about you," she snapped, her voice laced with fear and defiance. "So, can you please get lost."