Chapter 4

The screaming woke her.

Ivy sat up in bed, heart pounding. The sound came from down the hall. Raw. Desperate. Like an animal caught in a trap.

She pressed her ear to the door. The screaming had stopped, but she could hear movement. Heavy footsteps. A door slamming. Then silence.

She waited twenty minutes before trying the door handle. Locked, as always. But the screaming bothered her. It had sounded almost... broken.

The next morning, Axel looked like death. Dark circles under his eyes. Hands shaking slightly as he drank his coffee.

"Rough night?" she asked.

He glared at her…