They didn’t even let me explain.
Rough hands pushed me down the hallway, and before I could gather my thoughts or steady my breath, I was shoved into one of the old servant rooms. The door slammed shut behind me, and the harsh sound of the lock turning made me flinch.
It was dark. Cold. The room was bare except for a thin mattress on the floor and a broken wooden chair by the wall. Dust floated in the air, and the smell of old rags filled my nose.
I sat on the edge of the mattress, shaking. My cheeks were still wet with tears from earlier, and now they came back, fresh and hot. I covered my face with both hands, my shoulders trembling as the sobs tore out of me.
Why was this happening?
Why did they all think they could own me, hurt me, toss me around like I didn’t matter?
I cried harder thinking about him.
He had done nothing wrong. He was only trying to comfort me. To protect me. Now he could be punished just for caring. Just for being kind.
What if they hurt him? What if Kael ordered him to be punished, or worse?
I crawled onto the mattress and curled into myself, hugging my arms around my knees. The thin blanket offered no comfort, but I held onto it anyway like it could keep me from falling apart completely.
"Please," I whispered into the silence, my voice hoarse from crying. "Please don’t let him be hurt."
I prayed...quiet, desperate prayers...over and over, until my body was too weak to cry anymore.
Eventually, the tears stopped. My eyes were sore, my head heavy, and my heart... my heart felt cracked open. I lay down slowly, still facing the wall, and closed my eyes.
Sleep took me, but even in my dreams, I couldn’t stop thinking of Milo.
I just hoped he was safe.
I woke up with a dry throat and a pounding head. My eyes blinked slowly against the dim light that slipped through the cracked wooden window. For a second, I didn’t remember where I was, until the ache in my body reminded me.
Then, out of nowhere, slap!
A sharp pain lit up the side of my face, and my eyes snapped open, stinging from the impact.
"You filthy thing!" Belinda’s voice spat above me.
I blinked at her, too stunned to speak, my cheek burning hot where her hand had landed. Before I could say a word, she reached down, grabbed a fistful of my hair, and yanked me off the thin mattress.
"Agh!" I cried out, stumbling to my feet as pain shot through my scalp.
"Why is the guest room still dirty?" she hissed, dragging me out of the servant quarters like I weighed nothing. "I told you to clean it! Do you think you’re here to rest and sleep like a princess?!"
I struggled to keep up, trying not to fall as she yanked me forward by my hair. I was still sore from everything that had happened, still tired, still hurting, but none of it mattered to her. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
When we got to the room, she shoved me so hard I nearly hit the ground.
"Clean this mess!" she barked, crossing her arms. "Now. If I find a single speck of dust when I return, I’ll make sure you regret it."
Tears blurred my vision as I looked at the scattered pillows, the unmade bed, and the things she had probably messed up herself, just to blame me.
But I didn’t argue. I didn’t speak.
I simply lowered my head, swallowed my pain, and got to work.
I had just finished cleaning the room, wiping the last corner of the dresser until it gleamed under the soft afternoon light streaming through the window. My arms ached from scrubbing, and my feet throbbing from standing for so long, but I didn’t mind. At least I had something to do, something that made me feel useful again.
As I stepped back to admire the work, the door suddenly creaked open. My breath caught for a moment.
Belinda walked in, her heels clicking against the polished floor as she entered with Rowan and Damon bouncing around her. They were giggling, full of energy, their laughter rising like birdsong. One of them was tugging at her dress, excitedly telling her something I couldn’t quite hear, and Belinda responded with a light chuckle, tossing her hair over her shoulder.
They looked so happy, so carefree. For a moment, I just watched them, wishing I could hold on to that kind of warmth for even a second.
I stepped aside quietly, not wanting to draw attention to myself. I brushed my hands against my skirt, trying to smooth out the wrinkles and wipe off the sweat from all the cleaning. My chest tightened a little. Maybe, just maybe, Belinda would notice the effort I put in and smile at me. Maybe she’d say thank you, or even just nod her approval.
Because no matter how much I tried to stay strong, I was tired of being invisible.
But then Kael walked in.
The moment his eyes landed on me, his entire demeanor shifted. His brows furrowed, his jaw tightened.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, his tone sharp. "You’re supposed to be locked up."
My heart dropped to my stomach. For a split second, I froze. Then, quickly, I replied, "Miss Belinda... Miss Belinda asked me to clean her room."
There was silence. Heavy and loud.
Belinda’s smile vanished. She blinked at me, stunned, like she hadn’t heard me right.
"Wait...what?" she whispered.
Then she let go of the triplets’ hands and took a step forward, her voice rising as she spoke again.
"That’s a lie! Kael, she’s lying against me. I didn’t send her to do anything! I saw her in the corridor, just lazing around. I swear!"
I looked at her, stunned. Was she really going to deny it like that?