Page 70 of Collins

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Somewhere that has only ever belonged to Collins.

And I break.

I snap.

The numbness that had swallowed me whole suddenly fractures.

Feeling comes rushing back all at once—violent and overwhelming.

Every muscle in my body locks tight.

My fingers twitch.

Then they move.

My arms, once limp beside me, surge upward with a desperate burst of strength.

My hands collide with the face above me.

My nails dig in, scratching, clawing, tearing at whatever skin I can reach.

There’s a sudden jerk.

A violent shift.

Then—

Pain explodes across my face.

A sharp crack.

My head snaps to the side as heat floods my cheek, my ears instantly ringing—so loud.

“You bitch,” his voice snarls somewhere above me. “You scratched me.”

The ringing grows louder.

I try to fully open my eyes, but everything is blurry, spinning.

The world tilts.

And then?—

Pain.

Deep.

Violent.

Centered in the most intimate part of me.

The weight on my chest grows heavier, pressing down so hard it feels like my ribs might collapse under it.

The ringing in my ears slowly fades, and shapes begin to form again in my vision.

Movement. Above me…sounds I wish I couldn’t hear.

I gather what little strength I have left and try to move the only part of my body that still feels like it might obey me. My legs.

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