Aliyah’s POV
The first thing I felt was pain.
Not the sharp kind that comes and goes, but the deep, bone-crushing agony that makes you want to disappear completely. Cohen dragged me out of the basement by my hair, ignoring the way I screamed. His grip was iron, and every step he took tore another piece of my strength away.
When he pushed the door open, I was blinded by the harsh light that poured from the chandeliers of the large compound. The air outside was cold and biting, but the humiliation burned hotter than fire inside me.
“Please,” I whispered, my voice barely there. “Please stop…”
But Cohen only laughed.
He pulled me by the arm until we were standing in the middle of the courtyard. It was massive and empty, surrounded by the tall fences that kept the world out and me trapped
