Chapter 167

AMELIA

A few hours earlier…

Something was wrong, something was terribly wrong.

I looked at the new, strange paintings that spread through the gallery and for some reason, I knew immediately that they were all mine. I'd painted them all.

“They were all donated by an anonymous regular, much like that one at the far end, quite riveting, don't you think?” Vincent asked thoughtfully, looking as though he was entranced by the paintings.

On the outside, I was sure I seemed that way too but on the inside I was a fucking mess.

I could almost taste it on my tongue, the paint, the putrid smell of urine and blood in the air. I could feel the scratches all over my skin, the painful burn in my wrists from being tied up tightly for far too long. I had scrubbed them raw against the ropes , trying to free my hands but despite trying for hours on end, all I could manage was to hold the paintbrush he gave to me, and fill the canvas with each turmoil and dark thought that consumed me.

And her