Chapter 31: Drowning in Silence

I thought I had lost myself before.

But this was different.

Before, I was fighting. Even when they hurt me, even when they took everything, I still had something left inside me.

Now?

Now, I had nothing.

No fight.

No anger.

No will to care.

I was empty.

And they knew it.

The Weight of Existence

The days blurred together.

I barely spoke.

Barely moved.

Barely acknowledged them.

I drank when they told me to.

I ate just enough to keep them from forcing me.

I sat where they placed me.

I wasn't living.

I was existing.

Like a ghost trapped in a body I didn't want.

Leo Watches, But Doesn't Stop It

Leo noticed first.

Of course, he did.

He always noticed everything.

But he didn't stop it.

Didn't force me to speak.

Didn't try to pull me back from the edge.

Instead, he just watched.

One night, he stood in front of me, arms crossed, his icy-blue gaze burning into mine.

"You're shutting down."

I didn't answer.

Leo exhaled slowly.

"You think this changes anything?"

Still, I said nothing.

His fingers ghosted over my stomach.

I flinched.

It was the only reaction I had given in days.

Leo's expression didn't change.

But I saw the flicker of satisfaction.

Because he knew.

I could pretend all I wanted.

But I still felt something.

And that meant I wasn't completely lost yet.

Not to him.

Adrian Misses the Fight

Adrian hated it.

He hated how quiet I had become.

"You're so fucking boring now, sweetheart."

His voice was sharp, filled with irritation, like I was ruining his fun.

I barely blinked.

He leaned in close, his breath hot against my skin.

"Nothing?" he murmured. "No anger? No smart little insults?"

I didn't even look at him.

Adrian clicked his tongue. "I liked you better when you screamed."

But I didn't care what he liked.

I didn't care about anything.

Nico Pushes for a Reaction

Nico was the worst.

Because he was patient.

Because he knew exactly what I was doing.

He didn't push me like Adrian.

Didn't test me like Leo.

Instead, he simply sat beside me in silence.

Waiting.

One night, he finally spoke.

"You think we'll let you disappear?"

I tensed slightly.

His emerald-green eyes flickered with something unreadable.

"You're not getting out of this, Sophia."

I closed my eyes.

Because I already knew that.

And that was the worst part.

Breaking Further

The days got worse.

The exhaustion turned into something deeper.

I slept too much. Or not at all.

I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling for hours.

I stopped flinching when they touched me.

I stopped feeling anything at all.

And they let it happen.

Because they knew.

No matter how broken I became—

I still belonged to them.

And now, so did the life inside me.

There was no way out.