Chapter Thirty-One:
Julie's Point of View
I emerged from the bathroom, feeling the water cleanse my skin, though it could not wash away the boiling rage within my heart.
I headed toward the bags Robert had brought, and with sharp, mechanical movements, I picked out black trousers and a blue shirt and put them on.
I felt the fabric against my body like a shield I was forging anew to protect myself from the world.
I took the watch out of the bag; it was still there, cold and shining. I looked at its hands it was eleven at night.
How deathly slow time passes here! Those hours I spent naked and violated on that bed felt like long centuries of torment, centuries in which my soul aged a thousand years.
I placed the watch on the dressing table with a sharp tap, then picked up the hairdryer and began drying my wet strands.
The hot air lashing my face and neck reminded me of Robert's disgusting breath hitting my skin, and anger flared in my veins like fire in dry hay.
