Chapter 4

The padded walls of the psychiatric facility pressed in on me, suffocating. My wrists were chafed raw from the restraints, my limbs heavy with sedatives. The world was a hazy, muffled nightmare. I was a prisoner in my own body, trapped in a cage Cole had built.

The door creaked open, admitting a sliver of light and the sweet, cloying scent of Britney' s perfume. She floated in, a vision of false concern in a floral dress, her eyes too bright.

"Oh, Emma," she sighed, a dramatic hand fluttering to her chest. "Look at you. So tragic. Cole was right, you really did crack, didn't you? All that stress about 'Aura,' it just... broke you."

My head felt heavy, but her words sliced through the haze. "You stole it," I rasped, my voice hoarse. "You and Cole. You murdered my father, then you stole his legacy."

Britney' s laugh was light, tinkling, utterly devoid of warmth. "Murder? Oh, darling, that's a bit much. Your father just had a weak heart. Bad luck, really. As for Aura... well, Cole says it was just sitting there, gathering dust in your 'moody' phase. He saw its potential. He gave it to me to bring to life."

She pulled out her phone, her thumb swiping. "But don't worry, you're still part of the conversation. Look."

She turned the screen towards me. It was a live news broadcast. Cole, standing on a brightly lit stage, a microphone in his hand. He was smiling, a triumphant, confident smile. And in his hand, held aloft for the cameras, was a sleek, silver device. My "Aura," rebranded, repackaged. "Nexus," he called it. The ultimate smart home AI, he announced, a revolution in personalized technology.

My vision cleared. The sedative-induced fog lifted, replaced by a blinding white-hot rage. My Aura. My father's dream. My heart, my soul, twisted into a marketable product for his greedy hands, and Britney' s fame. The device in his hand, a symbol of everything he had stolen, everything he had desecrated.

A scream tore from my throat, raw and guttural. My muscles convulsed. The restraints, meant to hold me, suddenly felt flimsy, inadequate. I pulled, twisted, a primal strength surging through me. The leather straps bit into my skin, but I barely felt it. All I saw was Cole' s smug face, Britney' s triumphant smirk.

With a final, desperate heave, one of the buckles snapped. I tore my arm free, then the other. My legs thrashed. I kicked the medical tray by my bed, sending instruments clattering to the floor.

Britney shrieked, dropping her phone. "She's violent! Call the nurses!"

I launched myself off the bed, stumbling, my legs still weak. But the rage fueled me. I slammed into Britney, sending her reeling. She cried out, falling to the floor, her floral dress bunching around her.

I didn't stop. I kicked open the door, ignoring Britney's wails and the shouts of the nurses now streaming into the hallway. I ran. My bare feet slapped against the cold linoleum. White-coated figures converged from all directions, their faces grim.

"Stop her!" "Sedate her!" Their voices were a distant hum.

I knew this place. I had studied the blueprints when my father considered investing in their new wing. The emergency exit. It was at the far end of the east corridor, just past the hydrotherapy room.

I was weak, unstable, but my mind was a steel trap. One turn, another. A security guard lunged, but I dodged him, my body moving on pure instinct. I burst through the double doors, a blast of cold, wet air hitting me. Rain. A torrential downpour.

The night was a black void, illuminated only by jagged flashes of lightning. Rain lashed at my face, plastered my thin gown to my skin. But the cold was a shock, a jolt of clarity. Freedom.

"She went out the back!" I heard a voice behind me. Heavy footsteps pounded, growing closer.

I ran. Across the muddy lawn, through a dense thicket of bushes. The road. I stumbled onto the asphalt, my lungs burning, each breath a painful gasp. The headlights of an approaching car cut through the darkness, blinding me.

I sprinted, my bare feet screaming on the rough road. The car was fast. Too fast. Its engine roared, a menacing predator.

A searing pain, a blinding flash of white light. The impact lifted me off my feet, sent me flying through the air like a ragdoll. The world spun. My body hit the ground with brutal force, every bone screaming in protest. A wet, sticky warmth spread beneath my head.

The sound of screeching tires, shouting, and then, a familiar voice, thick with panic, calling my name.

"Emma! Oh my God, Emma!"

The voice was blurry, distant, yet utterly familiar. A face, shadowed by the downpour, swam into my fading vision. Strong arms, gentle hands.

"Emma, stay with me!" The voice was pleading, desperate.

Eric. Eric Rodriguez. My childhood friend. My loyal, unwavering Eric. His face, contorted with fear, was the last thing I saw before the darkness swallowed me whole.