Isabella checked the time on her phone: 7:15 AM. He must have gotten up early, let her sleep. Or maybe she'd been sleeping so deeply from the anxiety exhaustion that she hadn't heard him leave.
She tried to sit up and immediately understood how much worse things had gotten overnight.
Her body ached. Every muscle felt tight, tense, screaming with need for something she couldn't name. The anxiety was a physical pressure in her chest, not just mental, not just emotional, but actually physical, like her organs were trying to climb out of her skin.
Her hands wouldn't stop shaking.
Isabella pressed her palms flat against the mattress and watched them tremble. Yesterday the tremors had been subtle. This morning they were pronounced. Undeniable.
She was two days into withdrawal now, and her body was in full revolt.
***
Isabella dragged herself to the bathroom and looked at her reflection.
She barely recognized herself.
