Chapter 10: Rock Bottom
227 words
The curtains in Elena's efficiency apartment were drawn tight, blocking out a world that had decided she was a monster. Three days of isolation. The air inside stamped stale, smelling of unwashed laundry and despair. She sat on the edge of her mattress, the glow of her phone illuminating the fresh scars on her jaw.
Thorne’s lawyers had sent a 'generous' settlement offer via email that morning: $10,000, contingent on a complete non-disclosure agreement. It wasn't enough to cover her corrective surgeries, let alone her dignity. It was an insult. It was a bribe to go die quietly.
Elena looked at the orange bottle of painkillers on her nightstand. The depression helplines Kendra had texted her lay unopened in her messages. The silence in the room was heavy, pressing against her chest like deep water. She couldn't afford rent. She couldn't afford food. She certainly couldn't afford mental health support.
She reached for the bottle. Her hand trembled, the contents rattling like dry bones. "I'm so tired," she whispered to the empty room.
A sharp scratch at the door made her freeze. Then, a soft sliding sound.
Elena lowered the bottle and stared at the floor. A small, silver USB drive had been pushed under her door. It sat on the cheap laminate flooring, catching the glint of the streetlamp outside—a lifeline, or a trap.
End of Chapter 10
