Aria Solstice

Tethered Silence delves into the fragmented psyche of Raven, a young woman bound by roles she never chose. Raised by a mother who grooms her to be both wife to her stepfather and mother to her siblings, Raven’s existence has never been her own. As her body carries the visible marks of her compliance, her mind suffocates under the weight of expectations that seem inescapable.
Raven drifts through life, detached from her emotions and desires—if she ever had any. Her days blur in a numbing cycle of caregiving and survival, and her voice drowns in a silence she has never been allowed to break. On the cusp of adulthood, she finds herself attending college, an environment that promises freedom but only sharpens her awareness of the chains that bind her.
This is not a story of love, nor is it a tale of self-discovery. This is the slow unraveling of a life that was never lived for oneself. There is no salvation here—only the echoes of a mind slowly breaking under the weight of a life never meant to be hers.

Tethered Silence

As I neared the bottom of the stairs, my eyes found Elias. He stood by the table, adjusting something, but the moment he heard my steps, he turned. His gaze locked on me, and for a moment, the room felt too still. He looked at me longer than I was comfortable with, his lips parting slightly as though he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words. 


“You cleaned up well,” he finally said, his voice soft but carrying just enough teasing to make my cheeks burn. 


“Thanks,” I mumbled, gripping the banister as I descended the last few steps. 


He stepped forward, holding out his hand. “May I?” 


I glanced at his outstretched hand, then back at him. “Why?” 


A playful smile tugged at his lips. “Just trust me.” 


Lip-Tied Confessions