-LILIAN-
The silence after Alexander left was thick, heavy, like a blanket thrown over me. I lay there, shaking, tears still streaming down my face. I screamed at him. Called him a monster to his face. And he had just… left. No rage. No anger. Just a quiet, defeated sadness that somehow felt worse than any of his shouts.
The anger was still a burning coal in my gut, but a strange exhaustion settled over me. Like a storm had passed, leaving me empty and drained. My throat was raw from screaming. My body still ached from the therapy, and my heart felt heavy with all the pain I had just thrown at him.
Elara came in a little while later, her eyes wide with worry. She rushed to my side, her small hands gently wiping my tears.
"Mistress Lilian," she whispered, her voice soft. "Are you alrigh
