CHAPTER 11: THE TRADE
After the Mark. After the Lies. Before the Fall.
The memories of how they took her still clung like shadows in the corners of her mind—sharp, fresh, and cruel. It felt like yesterday, because the ache in her bones and the stench of damp stone told her it was.
The cold floor bit into her skin like teeth, stealing what little warmth she had left. But it wasn’t just her body that ached.
It was everything.
Every part of her—flesh, spirit, soul—fractured.
She sat there, trembling, her eyes red from crying. There weren’t any tears left now, only salt on her cheeks and fury in her blood. Her emotions were shards scattered across the floor, impossible to gather.
Every time she heard footsteps echo down the corridor, her breath hitched, heart thundering like a frightene
