Sophie didn't know how long she had been hiding in the restroom. Eventually she came back to her senses and stared for a long time at the pale, numb-faced girl in the mirror…
Silently, she told herself: This is his world, a world you never knew existed.
She lowered her head again, turned the faucet back on, and kept splashing cold water on her face, desperate to wake herself up. She was searching for a reasonable excuse, something comforting enough to convince herself that she could accept this version of Ned, that she could face the depravity right in front of her with understanding and indifference.
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't persuade her own heart. The path she wanted to take was a dead end. She was terrified that once she stepped onto it, there would be no turning back. That road was lined with thorns and shrouded in fog; even if she tried to turn around halfway, she would be covered in wounds, torn and bleeding, only to sink deeper and deeper…
