The Silent Rebellion
374 Words
Chapter 18 – The Silent Rebellion
Alesia woke up before sunrise.
Nico's arm was draped over her waist, heavy and protective. His breath was slow, steady. Asleep, he almost looked human—less like the monster the world feared, and more like the man who whispered her name like a secret every night.
But Alesia's mind was far from still.
His control over her was growing, seeping into her bones like poison disguised as passion. And though she burned for him, hungered for his touch in ways that scared her, a part of her—small, stubborn, and scarred—still wanted freedom.
She carefully slipped from under his arm, bare feet silent on the marble floor. She pulled one of his shirts over her body and walked through the dark corridors of the estate. The guards didn’t stop her anymore. They knew better. She was untouchable—but still watched.
She found the library. It was the one room Nico never entered without her. Maybe because it reminded him that she still had thoughts that weren’t about him. Ideas. Secrets.
She lit a candle and sat at the desk, pulling out the letter she'd started writing days ago. A letter meant for no one—or maybe for the version of herself she feared she’d lose.
> "He doesn’t own my soul. Not yet. But every time he touches me, I give more of it away. Am I a prisoner—or did I choose this cage? I don’t know anymore."
A tear fell onto the page, but she didn’t wipe it away.
Behind her, the door creaked open.
“You’re awake,” Nico said, voice gravelled with sleep.
She turned slowly. He was shirtless, tattooed, his dark eyes unreadable. “I needed air,” she echoed his words from last night.
His gaze drifted to the letter. “Writing again?”
She nodded, folding it shut with trembling fingers.
He approached but didn’t touch her. “You can write. Scream. Burn this whole library down if you want.” His voice dipped low. “But at the end of the day, you’ll still come back to my bed.”
“I know,” she whispered.
And she hated how true it was.
- Writer
