THANK YOU, Wattpad, for the HQ Love Watty Award! Concept: A mysterious young woman flees from her troubled past only to discover it is impossible to escape THE SECRET that haunts her. *PLEASE NOTE: This story was originally inspired by the movie "Sleeping With the Enemy". * * * * * "I would never, Steven," she promised, turning away from him in an attempt to protect herself. "I know you wouldn't," he screamed. Cupping her chin in his hand, he forced her to look at him. "Because I would kill you." His words hung heavy in the air. Sarah's heart sank into her stomach. No matter how many times she'd heard the menacing phrase, she could never get used to it. It had the same affect on her as the first time he'd thrown the ugly words in her face. The familiar sting of bile rose in her throat, and she knew she would deplete the contents of her stomach once she was locked in the safety of their master bath. 'If I make it through this time,' she agonized. Her biggest fear was that one day he would really lose his temper with her. Who knew what would happen then? *This story is an unedited first draft. Top Ranks: Action #1, Mystery and Thriller #1 *This story contains scenes of abuse and may be disturbing to some readers. While the characters are fictional, domestic violence is a serious issue that many people across the world face. If you or someone you know is the victim of abuse, please seek help immediately. Notice: This document is not authorized for upload or use with artificial intelligence systems or platforms. Any attempt to upload, analyze, or process this content using AI technology is strictly prohibited.

Seventeen-year-old April Parker's plan is simple: survive ten more months under her overbearing stepfather's roof, graduate, and get as far away from him as possible. It's the only thing that keeps her going and the reason his cruel expectations haven't broken her. The last thing she expects is to wake up inside an underground facility with dozens of other teenagers for company. Making allies doesn't come easily to her, thanks to her stepfather, and she's forced to hide the stigma of her upbringing to keep herself safe in this new world. But when the stronger teenagers fight for control over the facility, April is left with two choices: to remain the insecure person she's always been or to break free of Sam's chains and step forward as a leader-even if it means going up against the temperamental and compelling Marcus. As conditions within the facility become more stressful and the teenagers' resilience is put to the test, strange powers start to manifest. So do dangerous changes. And if their kidnappers' silence is anything to go by, no one is coming to save them.