Chapter six
1103 Words
The smell of smoke never left me.
Even days after Kael’s execution, I could still smell the burning wood, hear the crackling flames, and remember the sound of his voice screaming my name before the fire swallowed him whole.
I sat alone in the tiny dark room they had locked me in, my knees pressed against my chest. Tears rolled silently down my face as I stared at the cold floor beneath me.
Kael was gone.
Burned alive like a criminal.
And nobody cared.
Not the villagers.
Not the elders.
Not even his own family.
The door suddenly burst open, making me flinch.
Atlas stepped inside slowly, dressed in black like he was mourning, but the smirk on his face told a different story. Behind him stood two guards with expressionless faces.
“You’re still crying for him?” Atlas asked coldly.
I looked away from him without answering.
His jaw tightened.
“That man is dead, Lyra,” he snapped. “You should stop acting like a widow already.”
“He was my husband,” I whispered weakly.
Atlas walked closer until he stood directly in front of me.
“And I can become your new one.”
My stomach twisted immediately.
“I already told you no.”
The room fell silent.
Then suddenly—
SLAP!
My head jerked violently to the side as pain exploded across my cheek. A sharp gasp escaped my lips.
“You don’t reject me,” Atlas growled.
I slowly touched my burning face, shocked.
This was the first time he had ever hit me openly.
The old Atlas used to pretend to be kind in front of others, but ever since Kael died, he no longer cared about hiding his cruelty.
“I said no,” I repeated, my voice trembling.
His eyes darkened with anger.
“You’re living in my house,” he hissed. “Eating my food. Wearing clothes bought with my family’s money. Yet you still dare to disrespect me?”
“I never asked for any of this,” I replied bitterly.
Atlas grabbed my arm aggressively and forced me to stand.
“You should be grateful,” he sneered. “Any other woman would beg to marry into this family.”
“But I’m not any other woman.”
For a second, rage flashed across his face.
Then he suddenly smiled.
A dangerous smile.
“Fine,” he said softly. “If you refuse to become my wife willingly, then maybe suffering will change your mind.”
Fear crawled into my chest.
Before I could speak, he turned toward the guards.
“Take her.”
The guards grabbed me immediately.
“Where are you taking me?” I cried out.
Atlas stared at me without emotion.
“To where servants belong.”
My eyes widened.
“No… please…”
But nobody listened.
They dragged me outside the mansion while the workers and villagers watched silently. Some pitied me, but none of them dared to interfere.
From that day onward, my life became hell.
I was forced to clean the mansion from morning until midnight.
I scrubbed floors until my hands bled.
I washed clothes under freezing water.
I cooked meals only to eat leftovers like an animal afterward.
Sometimes Atlas deliberately threw food on the floor and ordered me to clean it with my bare hands.
And if I refused…
He punished me.
One evening, after hours of working in the kitchen, exhaustion finally took over my body. My vision blurred as I carried a tray upstairs.
Suddenly—
CRASH!
The tray slipped from my hands and shattered loudly across the floor.
Silence filled the hallway.
My breathing stopped when I slowly looked up and saw Atlas standing at the end of the corridor.
His expression was terrifying.
I immediately dropped to my knees.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered quickly. “It was an accident.”
Atlas walked toward me slowly.
The sound of his footsteps echoed like death itself.
When he reached me, he crouched beside the broken glass.
“You’re becoming useless,” he muttered.
“I’ll clean it up right away—”
Before I could finish, he grabbed my chin harshly.
“You know,” he whispered darkly, “sometimes I wonder if Kael truly deserved to die.”
My heart stopped.
“What…?”
Atlas leaned closer.
“Maybe he suffered because of you.”
Tears instantly filled my eyes.
“Don’t say that.”
“He died screaming while you watched helplessly,” Atlas continued cruelly. “Didn’t that make you feel worthless?”
“Stop…” I begged weakly.
“But the funny thing is,” he whispered with a smirk, “he kept calling your name until the very end.”
A broken sob escaped my lips.
Atlas finally released my chin and stood up.
“Clean this mess,” he ordered coldly before walking away.
That night, I cried myself to sleep on the cold floor of my tiny room.
For the first time in my life, I began to hate fate itself.
Why was I still alive while Kael was gone?
Why did evil people always win?
I closed my swollen eyes tightly, trying to force myself to sleep.
But sometime during the night…
I had a dream.
I stood in a dark empty field surrounded by ashes. The air smelled like smoke, and the sky above me was blood red.
Then suddenly, I saw him.
Kael.
He stood far away from me, dressed in white, staring at me sadly.
“Kael!” I screamed happily and started running toward him.
But no matter how fast I ran, the distance between us never changed.
Tears streamed down my face.
“Please don’t leave me again!”
Kael slowly raised his hand toward me.
Then in a weak voice, he said—
“Run.”
My heart skipped.
“What?”
His expression suddenly changed into fear.
“Run, Lyra… before it’s too late.”
The ground beneath me began cracking apart violently.
Flames erupted everywhere around us.
“Kael!” I screamed desperately.
But suddenly dark hands grabbed him from behind and dragged him into the fire.
“No!”
I tried reaching him, but the flames swallowed him completely.
Then I woke up screaming.
My entire body shook violently as sweat covered my skin.
The room was dark and silent except for my heavy breathing.
Tears rolled down my face again as I hugged myself tightly.
It felt so real.
Too real.
And deep inside my heart…
I knew Kael was trying to warn me about something.
- Writer
