CHAPTER 47 Born a Slave

　　Ella's POV

　　I was a train wreck today. Scrubbed raw in the inside, flustered and hot on the outside, my head. That was a totally different story! I felt really bad for sneaking out on Ryan this morning, so bad I could be sick. But the thought of facing him right now made me feel even worse. Embarrassed by my breakdown I didn't know what else to do at the moment. Weak and broken, he had been a gentleman. A man I didn't even dare dream of deserving.

　　Leaving the stage last night, my breath got sucked out of my lungs. A drunken haze blasted around me as the ground shattered beneath my feet. I couldn't draw my breath, remember how. Everything familiar I grasped for not to fall slipped through my fingers. Because it was no longer there. Realizing this I gave in to the panic threatening to devour me.