CH.29

I was utterly paralyzed, frozen in place by the gripping fear that seized my entire body.

My widened eyes remained fixated on Karl, unblinking, as I swallowed hard in a futile attempt to dislodge the lump that had formed in my constricted throat. It felt like I was choking on the very air I breathed.

"No... No, it's not over yet," I stammered out in a voice shaking uncontrollably with the lie.

An internal mantra played on repeat in my mind as I silently prayed to any higher power that might be listening, begging them to prevent Karl from seeing through the blatant deception. The harsh truth was my menstrual cycle had indeed ended just the day before. But there was absolutely no way I could bring myself to disclose that information to him.

Doing so would be akin to painting a large target on my back. The very last thing I wanted—the very last thing I could possibly endure, was for him to make another attempt at violating me again.

Karl's eyes narrowed into icy slits as he studied my