Page 1 of Cruel Submission

Chapter One

Mirabel

The door swings open before I finish knocking.

“Oh my God, Mirabel!”

Diane pulls me inside, and I’m wrapped in her arms, breathing in lavender and old books and that vanilla candle she burns obsessively. The apartment has never looked so welcoming.

My legs give out.

“Whoa— I’ve got you.” Her grip tightens as I sag against her. “Jesus. What happened?”

I can’t answer. My throat won’t work. All I can do is shake my head while she half-carries me to the couch.

The door shuts. The world is sealed out.

For now.

“Mirabel.” Diane crouches in front of me, hands on my shoulders. Her eyes go wide. “God, babe, no offense, but you look like crap. What happened? Are you okay?”

I open my mouth, but my teeth won’t stop chattering. The shaking takes over… violent tremors I can’t control. Adrenaline finally crashing after hours of running on pure terror.

I almost got kidnapped.

If the bus driver had been one second slower—

“I’ll tell you everything, Dee.” My voice doesn’t sound like mine. “I just— I need the bathroom.”

I’m already moving, stumbling down the hall.

“Mirabel, wait—” She follows. “What are these bruises? Are you hurt? Did your boss—?”

“Just let me use the bathroom first.”

I don’t mean to snap at her, but I can feel myself about to break open, and I need to be alone when it happens.

I reach the bathroom and shut the door. Lock it.

Diane’s shadow appears beneath the door. “Okay. Take your time.” Her voice is soft now. “You want to take a bath? I’ll grab you a towel. You know where everything is.”

Her footsteps fade.

I lean against the door and let myself fall apart.

The tears come hot and silent. My body shakes. I slide down to the cold tile and sob into my hands, trying to muffle the sound.

I almost lost everything.

The baby. My life. Dad.

Arkady.

His name carves through me like a blade. Does he even know I’m missing yet? Or is he still at Ashwater Heights, moving through his day while I nearly vanished off the face of the earth?

I press my palms over my eyes until white stars burst behind my lids.

“There you are, darling. You’ve had your little adventure. Time to go home now.”