**Elena’s POV**

The night was a long blur. Without food or water, my body felt as if it were being emptied from the inside. There was nothing left of me but the dry, burning ache in my throat and the constant throb of my wrists where the ropes bit deep.Every time I drifted into a light, broken sleep, the cold would snap me awake. I spent hours staring at the peeling paint on the basement walls, watching the gray light of morning slowly crawl through the high, dirt-caked window.

I was fading. ...