DON'T CHEAT ON ME!

CHAPTER 15: Darkness

Patricia's POV:

Everything is dark. My head throbs like a drumbeat, relentless and loud, drowning out any coherent thought. My eyelids flutter open, but I see nothing. Darkness isn't just around me; it's pressing against me, heavy and suffocating.

I try to move, but my arms and legs don't respond. Panic claws at me as I realize I'm bound-my wrists and ankles are tied tight, the rough material biting into my skin with every twitch.

My body aches, a dull throb from my head to my toes, but nothing compares to the sharp, splitting pain radiating from the back of my skull.

"What happened to me? Where am I?"

I shift, trying to adjust myself, but the chair beneath me creaks ominously. My chest tightens as I realize how vulnerable I am. I can't see. I can't move. I can't even scream. My lips move to form words, but only silence escapes. Something is covering my mouth, pressing against it, silencing me.

"No, no, no..."

My breathing quickens, and I try to pull myself together, but the cold bites into my skin, a cruel reminder that I'm exposed. Naked. Completely bare.

I can feel the chill creep into my bones, making me shiver uncontrollably. The realization sends a new wave of terror coursing through me.

"Who did this?"

The questions pound in my mind like a relentless storm, each one louder than the last. The fear is overwhelming, but worse is the not knowing. Not knowing where I am. Not knowing what's going to happen to me.

I try to remember how I got here, but it's like my memories are hiding in the shadows, just out of reach. I grasp at fragments-voices, laughter, maybe a bright light-but they slip away like smoke.

Think, Patricia. Think.

I try to calm my racing thoughts, but it's impossible. The ropes around my wrists tighten as I instinctively struggle, the rough fibers cutting into my skin. Tears sting my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. Crying won't help. Nothing will help.

I lean my head back against the chair, wincing as the pain flares up again. I don't know how long I sit there, shivering and trembling, trapped in my own mind. Minutes? Hours? Time doesn't seem to exist here.

"Is anyone here?"

The silence is oppressive, broken only by the sound of my own ragged breathing. It feels like the walls are closing in on me, squeezing the air from my lungs. I can't even tell if I'm alone. The idea that someone might be watching me sends a fresh jolt of fear through my body.

I try to focus, to push the panic away.

"Breathe, Patricia. Just breathe. You need to stay calm."

But calm feels like a distant memory, something I've forgotten how to hold onto.

"Who would do this?"

My mind races through possibilities, faces of people I know flashing before me. None of it makes sense.

The fear starts to morph into something darker-anger. My hands clench into fists, or at least they would if the ropes allowed it.

"I can't breathe properly. I can't.."

The thought is fleeting, swallowed quickly by the crushing weight of reality. I'm helpless. Tied. Silenced. Naked. The anger drains away, leaving only despair in its wake.