Chapter 19: Silent Rebellion
Chapter 19: Silent Rebellion
Nothing felt real anymore.
I didn't speak. I didn't eat. I barely moved. My body ached, my skin felt raw, and my mind drifted between the edges of consciousness, barely holding on.
I wasn't crying. I wasn't fighting.
I was just... existing.
And they hated it.
The Hollow Shell
The bruises were still fresh, dark splotches painting my skin like reminders of their control. I lay curled up on the bed, staring at the wall, my body motionless.
The door creaked open. I didn't turn my head.
Leo.
I could feel his presence before I even saw him. The quiet way he moved, the sharpness of his gaze boring into me like a dagger.
He stood at the foot of the bed, waiting.
"Get up," he ordered.
I didn't move.
Leo's jaw tightened. "Sophia."
Nothing.
A long, tense silence stretched between us before the bed dipped slightly under his weight. He grabbed my wrist, lifting my limp arm as if testing how far gone I was. My fingers didn't even twitch.
"You think this is going to work?" Leo's voice was sharp, biting. "You think ignoring us is an option?"
I didn't blink.
Leo let out a slow breath, his fingers tightening around my wrist. "Fine," he said, standing abruptly. "If you want to be difficult, we can be worse."
The door slammed behind him.
Breaking the Doll
The next time the door opened, Adrian was the one standing there. His storm-gray eyes flicked over me, his usual smirk absent.
"Really?" he muttered, stepping inside. "You're pulling the silent treatment?"
I didn't respond.
Adrian sighed dramatically, sitting on the edge of the bed. "You're making this harder than it needs to be, sweetheart."
Still, I said nothing.
A flicker of irritation crossed his face. "You think this is some kind of protest?" he asked. "That shutting down is going to piss us off?"
I kept my gaze locked on the wall.
"Alright then," Adrian said, standing. "Let's see how long you last."
The Forced Compliance
They tried everything.
Leo dragged me to the dining room, forcing a plate in front of me. "Eat."
I didn't touch it.
Adrian grabbed my chin, tilting my face up. "Look at me when I talk to you."
I stared past him like he wasn't even there.
Nico stood in the doorway, arms crossed, his emerald-green eyes calculating. He didn't speak, didn't order—just watched. Studied.
Waiting.
The Attempt
That night, I made my move.
They thought they'd broken me. That I had no fight left. But they underestimated what desperation could do to a person.
I waited until the mansion was still, the heavy quiet settling over the halls. My body ached, but I forced myself to move, slipping out of the room and into the corridor.
The front door was too risky. The windows were sealed. But there was a passageway I had memorized—one leading through the back gardens, where the guards were fewer.
I reached the hall leading outside, my heartbeat hammering in my ears. Just a few more steps.
Then, a voice shattered my illusion of freedom.
"Going somewhere?"
Ice crawled up my spine.
Nico.
I turned slowly to see him standing at the end of the hall, arms crossed, his expression unreadable.
For a long moment, neither of us moved.
Then, he stepped forward.
"You really don't learn," Nico said softly, his tone laced with quiet menace.
I took a step back. "Let me go."
Nico let out a slow, amused breath. "No."
Then he was on me.
His grip was iron as he caught my wrist, twisting my arm behind my back with ease. I struggled, but it was useless.
"I told you," Nico murmured, his lips close to my ear. "You don't get to leave."
His grip tightened painfully as he dragged me back toward the center of the house. "And now, you pay for it."
The Fallout
Leo and Adrian were waiting when Nico shoved me into the living room.
"She tried to run," Nico said simply.
Adrian's smirk returned, sharper this time. "Did she now?"
Leo stepped closer, his icy-blue eyes burning into mine. "You just don't get it, do you?"
I said nothing.
Leo's expression darkened. "Fine," he said, his voice cold. "Then we'll make you understand."
The punishment was coming.
And this time, I wasn't sure I'd survive it.