Rose’s POV

The atmosphere was thick with stress; each inhalation I made cutting into my chest like pieces of glass. The men walked in circles around me, their firearms shiny under the faint light. I attempted to manage the shaking in my body, but it was not feasible. My hands were securely tied behind me, and the coarse rope chafed my skin. I could hardly shift, yet my thoughts spun in loops.

"Be quiet!" one of the men shouted at me as I sobbed uncontrollably in the corner. His ...