Clara's POV
I kept running, tears blurring my vision.
I didn't even know where I was going—only that I couldn't stop. My chest hurt, my breath burned, and my heart felt like it was tearing itself apart.
I was scared.
Scared that I would never make it home again.
That I would never see my mom.
My dad.
Julie.
My friends.
Or Lucien… my Lucien.
I had tried for so long not to think about them. Not to think about home. Because every time I did, it hurt too much.
But this—
This broke me.
I kept running—farther and farther—without knowing where I was going. My thoughts were a blur, my senses dulled by the storm of emotions crashing inside me.
After a while, my knees finally gave out.
I stumbled and fell hard to the ground.
"Ah—!" I gasped, pain shooting through my legs as I tried to move again. They burned, sore and trembling.
Despite the pain, I slowly pushed myself up.
"Ugh…" I winced, my legs trembling beneath me.
I wouldn't let this place torture me again.
