Chapter 13: Softness He Hides
620 Words
I lost track of time.
Hours… maybe more.
It didn’t matter anymore.
The room felt suffocating.
Too quiet.
Too still.
His words kept repeating in my head.
“You don’t leave this room without permission.”
I sat by the window, my knees pulled close to my chest.
The city outside was alive…
While I felt completely trapped.
I should hate him.
And I did.
But something else was there too.
Something I didn’t want to admit.
A soft knock interrupted my thoughts.
I froze.
He never knocked.
“Come in,” I said quietly.
The door opened slowly—
But it wasn’t him.
A maid stepped inside, holding a tray.
Food.
My chest tightened slightly.
“He said you should eat,” she said softly, placing it on the table.
I didn’t respond.
I wasn’t hungry.
“He also said…” she hesitated,
“you haven’t eaten since yesterday.”
My eyes flicked up.
He noticed?
“And?” I asked quietly.
“He said to make sure you eat everything.”
Silence.
Something in my chest shifted.
“Leave it,” I said.
The maid nodded and left.
The room went quiet again.
I stared at the food for a long time.
Then slowly…
I stood.
He was controlling me.
That’s all this was.
Right?
I picked up the fork.
Took a bite.
Warm.
Fresh.
Exactly the kind of food I liked.
My hand paused.
He knew.
My chest tightened again.
I quickly pushed the thought away.
It didn’t mean anything.
…Right?
The door opened again later that night.
This time—
It was him.
I didn’t move.
Didn’t look at him immediately.
“You ate,” he said.
Not a question.
A statement.
“You’re watching me now?” I replied coldly.
He didn’t answer.
I finally looked at him.
His expression was calm.
But not cold like before.
Different.
“You needed to eat,” he said simply.
“That’s not your decision,” I shot back.
Silence.
He stepped closer.
Slowly.
My heart started reacting again.
“Everything about you is my concern right now,” he said quietly.
My breath caught.
“Why?” I asked.
This time…
He didn’t answer immediately.
His eyes stayed on me.
Studying.
Almost… conflicted.
“Because you’re here,” he said finally.
That wasn’t an answer.
But somehow…
It felt like one.
I looked away.
“You locked me here,” I whispered.
Silence.
Then—
“I did,” he admitted.
I looked back at him, surprised.
He never admitted things like that.
“But I didn’t do it to hurt you,” he added quietly.
My chest tightened.
“Then why?”
He stepped closer again.
Not forcing.
Not trapping.
Just… closer.
“Because you don’t understand how dangerous it is outside,” he said.
My heart skipped.
“Dangerous for who?” I asked.
His gaze darkened slightly.
“For you.”
Silence.
That…
I didn’t expect.
My voice softened without me realizing.
“Why would anyone come after me?”
He didn’t answer.
But his silence said everything.
My heart dropped.
“This is because of you,” I whispered.
He didn’t deny it.
“Yes,” he said quietly.
My chest tightened painfully.
I didn’t know what to feel anymore.
Anger.
Fear.
Or something else entirely.
“So I’m trapped here because of your enemies,” I said.
“You’re safe here because of them,” he corrected.
Silence.
My eyes burned slightly.
“I didn’t ask for this,” I whispered.
His expression softened just a little.
“I know.”
That…
That hurt more than anything.
Because for the first time—
He sounded… honest.
And somehow…
That made everything harder.
- Writer
