68: Nowhere to Run

He reached for my glass, gently guiding my hand away from the bloodstained towel and positioning the tumbler within my grasp. I remained motionless, but he persisted, lifting my arm and bringing the rim of the glass to my lips. "Take a few sips to help calm yourself down," he urged.

I complied, as I had done countless times before, licking the droplets of alcohol before taking tentative sips, eventually succumbing to gulps.

Rafael muttered under his breath as he set the bloody rag on the table. "That's enough," he said firmly, forcefully taking the glass away from me. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed him shaking his head. "Emily, what happened? What the hell happened?"

One. Two. Three.

Four. Five. Six.

I counted silently, desperately trying to regain composure before responding. Finally, when I reached ten, I managed to speak. "I witnessed a horrific murder," I confessed.

He let out a deep sigh, the frustration evident in his voice. "If you only witnessed it, then why are y