Steph woke up in the same bed she'd slept in since she was a child. Her room smelled of strawberries, and sunlight filtered through the leaves outside to cast playful shadows across the room. For just a few moments, she forgot why she was there and why she was doomed. It would take a lot more than twenty-four hours at home to convince her differently.
Kimmy and Stella told her the phone calls and text messages had escalated. Still, the company had been monitoring internet activity, and nothing out of the ordinary had shown up there that threw Steph or the university into a bad light. Steph couldn't understand why the phone activity hadn't de-escalated. She'd done what they asked. She had left. She probably wouldn't be going back. Probably. Maybe. There were other schools. She could start fresh. She could stay home and take online courses or attend the same school Liam had attended. The options were endless.
