Chapter 16: His Obsession, My Poison
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The world tilted strangely after Riven left the room.
I stood there, heart pounding, muscles taut, every breath sharp with panic and hate. Noah had been taken. Because of me. Because he tried to help me breathe in a place where even air felt like it belonged to Riven.
And Riven…
He believed I was folding again.
But this time, I wasn't shattering.
I was sharpening.
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I waited until the halls fell silent. The guards had gone. Even Riven's footsteps had faded into the cold marble echo of the mansion's endless corridors. I crept out of the hidden room and slipped back into mine, locking the door.
It was a meaningless gesture.
But somehow, it helped me feel human again.
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Inside the drawer, hidden beneath layers of nothing, lay a small book Noah had once slipped into my hands — a blank journal.
In case you ever need to scream silently, he'd said.
Tonight, I needed to scream.
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Entry 1: He thinks he owns me. But I'll make that belief his undoing. Every look he gives me, every cruel touch, every moment he thinks I'm breaking — I'll use it. I'll bleed for now, but I won't drown.
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The door creaked open suddenly.
I jolted, quickly hiding the notebook.
It wasn't Riven.
It was Liam.
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He looked… off. Not cold. Not playful. Not calculating.
Just… tired.
He closed the door behind him and leaned against it, arms crossed, eyes scanning the room like it held answers he couldn't find.
"You're awake," he said quietly.
"Couldn't sleep."
His eyes flicked to my neck — the red mark from Riven's earlier grip still visible.
Liam's jaw clenched. "I told him not to touch you."
"You told him?" I scoffed. "Do you really think he listens to anyone but his own obsession?"
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He didn't answer.
Instead, he walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, looking at his hands.
"You're becoming something else," he muttered.
"What does that mean?"
"You're learning to lie. To manipulate. That wasn't you when we met."
I stared at him. "You think I want this? You think this is something I'm proud of?"
"No," he said quietly. "I think this is what Riven does to people."
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There was a long pause.
Then Liam added, "But you'll either let him win… or you'll become someone worse."
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That hit deep. Unfairly deep.
"I'm trying to survive."
"I know." He stood up. "Just… don't lose the last parts of you."
Before I could respond, he was gone.
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Survive. Don't become worse.
Was there even a difference anymore?
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Later that night, I wandered toward the restricted wing of the mansion — the one place Riven had always told me to never enter.
Naturally, that meant it held the most secrets.
I waited for the cameras to shift, then slipped in.
The hallway was colder here. Dead silent. The kind of silence that buried things.
I moved quickly, my heartbeat loud in my ears.
Until I heard it.
A voice.
Low. Ragged. Familiar.
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"Noah."
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He was in one of the cells, wrists chained, blood dried at the edge of his mouth.
"Noah!" I whispered harshly, running to the bars.
His head lifted slowly. "You… idiot," he groaned. "What are you doing here?"
"I had to make sure you were okay."
"I'm not okay," he hissed. "But that's not new."
I reached for the lock — old, rusted — but it didn't budge.
"I'll get you out," I said.
Noah coughed, giving me a crooked smile. "Now you sound like the hero in a bad novel."
"I mean it."
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"You better," he murmured. "Because if he finds you here—"
"I want him to find me," I said suddenly.
Noah blinked. "What?"
"I want him to trust me again. I want him to think I've broken. I want him to let me close enough to carve into the part of him that bleeds."
Silence.
Then Noah grinned — slow and bloody.
"Now that," he whispered, "is the best lie you've ever told."
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As I turned to leave, I didn't notice the figure in the shadows.
Watching.
Listening.
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Riven stood at the end of the hallway, expression unreadable.
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[End of Chapter 16]
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