Chapter 133

ARIANA'S POV

Consciousness came slowly, pulling me from the dark abyss in agonizing increments. Kill Margaret, Kill Margaret, played over and over in my head. It was an unending loop that was driving me crazy.

My body felt heavy, as if weighed down by invisible chains. Every muscle ached, every breath a laborious task. I blinked, the dim light of the room piercing my vision. The silence was unnerving, a stark contrast to the chaos that had preceded my blacking out. I couldn't even remember what had knocked me out. One minute Reginald and Detective James were in the room with me and the next, I'm waking up to silence. I winced as I tried to move, every movement a source of agonizing pain.

Where am I?

Panic set in as I realized my situation. My wrists throbbed from the ropes that had cut into them, and I struggled to move, only to find myself still bound to the chair. My heart pounded in my chest as I strained against my restraints, desperate for any sign of life, any hint that this ni