After being disowned by her parents, fifteen year old Serena Verlice finds herself in a toxic relationship with a much older man. She undergoes four years of emotional and physical abuse until one day she goes to the doctor and receives a devastatin...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"How is she?" Miles asks as I come strolling into the canteen.
"Passed out. They had to give her some morphine," I tell him, grabbing a sandwich and a drink from the display case and walking it to the counter.
I pay for my food and head towards the table that they're all sat at. "You guys can go if you want. I think she may be here for a while," I explain, peeling the plastic off my sandwich.
"Are you sure?" Harper asks guilty, probably not feeling great about leaving Serena.
"Yeah I'll let you know if anything changes," I assure her. They reluctantly agree, saying goodbye before filing out into the hallway.
I follow them out but turn down a different hall, heading back towards Serena's room. I stroll along the hallway, taking bites of my sandwich as I do so.
I push open the door of room number seventy, expecting to see a passed out Serena but my eyes fall on an empty bed.
Nothing seems out of place except the blanket and sheets, which are now falling off the mattress and onto the ground.
It's as if my brain stops working, all logic deserting me as I drop my food and drink onto the floor and rush back out into the hallway.
They probably just moved her to a different room, I repeat to myself as I storm towards the reception.
I come to a halt in front of an older woman, chewing loudly on a piece of gum as she plays a game on her phone.
"Excuse me," I grit, my tone anything but polite.
She looks up, an annoyed expression on her face until her eyes meet mine. "Oh Mr. Cruz how can I help you," She blurts out, dropping her phone onto her desk with a loud thud.
"Serena Verlice, I need to know what room she's been moved to," I demand, tapping my foot impatiently against the polished floors.
She hurries to do as I asked, turning her attention to her computer and tapping on the keys.
"She's in room seventy sir," She tells me.
"No we were in room seventy and now she's been moved to a different one," I try to explain. She furrows her eyebrows in confusion, her eyes drifting back down to the computer screen.
She clicks the mouse a few times before staring at the screen for a moment. "There's no record of a room swap," She mumbles, still focused on the computer.
Any hope that this could be an innocent misunderstand dwindles. My ears start to ring as my breathing picks up, my nails digging into my sweaty palms in hope that the twinge of pain will reground me.
I hear her talking but I can't understand her, the words coming out muffled and incoherent. I suck in a deep breath, trying to calm myself down.
"Get me your security," I mutter, my voice hoarse. "Pardon?" The woman questions.
