-LILIAN-
Then, without another word, he turned and strode out of the room. Thamy, after a hesitant, sympathetic glance in my direction, followed him, closing the door behind them.
The silence that followed was heavy, filled with the echoes of Avery's harsh words. My body shook, tears streaming down my face. They thought I was a schemer. They thought I was pretending.
The injustice of it was a crushing weight. Trapped. Silent. And now, accused. I wanted to scream. But still, no sound came. Only the silent, agonizing sobs wracked my broken body.
***
The echoes of Avery's cruel words, calling me a manipulative slut, accusing me of faking my pain, still burned in my mind. The helpless rage, the humiliation of being unable to defend myself, had been a constant ache. Elara, my gentle, sil
