89: Hell

Jessica's POV.

The harsh fluorescent lights of the prison cell did nothing to mask the bruises and exhaustion I felt inside. My hands were tied behind my back as I was shoved roughly into the cell, the other inmates' laughter echoing in the narrow hallway. The cell was a dingy, foul-smelling place, and every inch of it seemed designed to grind down any semblance of dignity left in me.

The moment I was inside, the jeers started. "Well, look who’s here! The queen of drama herself!" one of them sneered, her voice dripping with scorn.

Another woman, her eyes cold as ice, added, "Think you’re so high and mighty, huh? Look where that got you now—prison food and a lifetime of misery."

They circled me like vultures, their words like nails scraping down a chalkboard. I clenched my jaw, trying not to react. They didn’t know the half of it, how I felt like an animal trapped in a cage, facing a fate worse than death.

The food they served was beyond appalling. Each meal was a grayish, tasteless s