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

“Proving a point,” he said, his tone dropping into something softer. He shifted slightly beneath me, testing the weight. “See? My Leg’s fine.” 


I glanced up at him, my face heating at the realization that we were so close. “You could’ve just said that instead of—” 


“Would you have believed me?” he cut in, tilting his head. 


“…Probably not,” I admitted begrudgingly. 


“There you go.” He grinned, clearly pleased with himself, but he didn’t move me or let go. Instead, he leaned forward just a little, enough that his voice dropped lower. “So, are you satisfied now?” 


I swallowed hard, unsure whether he was talking about his leg—or something else entirely. “Y-yeah,” I stammered, my voice barely above a whisper. 


“Good.” His voice was calm, but there was a playful glint in his eyes, like he knew exactly what he was doing. 


Sweet Like Ice Cream