105

Hours passed, the night's silence broken only by the occasional cry of pain that escaped my lips. I longed for solace, for a moment of clarity that would free me from the clutches of my own mind. But as the night wore on, it became clear that there was no easy escape from the labyrinth of suffering that had enveloped me.

The weight of my turmoil bore down on me, a suffocating force that left me feeling trapped in a the clutches of confusion and pain. The desire to share my anguish with Meghan gnawed at me, a flicker of vulnerability that yearned to bridge the distance between us. But fear held me back—fear that she would see me as the monster that I feared I was becoming.

It wasn't just the pain or the hallucinations that tormented me; it was the darkness that seemed to taint even the purest corners of my mind. The very thought of confiding in her, of admitting that I was struggling to control the demons within me, left me paralyzed with dread.

I couldn't bear the thought of her reco