LOGINZeden.“I don’t want to go anywhere else, Papa. Please don’t send me away. I want to be with you. I’m sorry for being so bad. It won’t happen again. I’m sorry… Papa…” She cried out suddenly, her wet, sobbing face pressing against my bare back, tears soaking into my skin.I didn’t turn around right away, letting her words hang in the heavy air between us.“Please… I won’t do anything bad again. I’ll behave from now on. Don’t send me away.” Her hands tightened desperately around my waist. “I won’t take alcohol again. I won’t ever do anything to hurt you again…”When I finally turned, her hands slowly loosened as I faced her. I dropped the bottle onto the floor with a dull thud and cupped her face gently between my palms. Even though my eyes were useless, I could feel her—every tremble, every tear, every soft hitch of her breath.“That’s not the point, princess,” I murmured, my thumbs brushing away the wetness on her cheeks. “I couldn’t stop you because I felt you needed to do some silly
Zeden.“You are not my father…” Each word hit me like a gunshot, scraping straight into my veins.“Enough of this nonsense, Zameera!” I shouted, hurling the torn pieces of the envelope into the air. They scattered across the floor like useless confetti. My blood roared in my ears, hot and furious, pounding through my chest as if it wanted to break free. I hated this moment. I had always known it would come, and I had sworn to myself I would despise every second of it. She was bound to find out eventually, but I had done everything to keep the truth buried—at least for now.“Okay, now what? Huh!” My voice climbed higher as I clamped both hands around her arms. They trembled under my grip, but I didn’t let go. “You want to go looking for your real father? Is that what all this is about? When have I ever failed to take care of you? Tell me. When?!” I demanded. I wasn’t waiting for an answer. Whatever she said next would only feed the rage boiling inside me, and I wasn’t sure I could co
Zeden.I heard her walk further into the room, shutting the door behind her as if trying not to make a sound. The soft click only fueled my anger more—she thought she could control the moment, control me. But I kept my calm, breathing steady, letting the silence stretch between us like a blade.At least I had always known Zam had zero control over her emotions when they boiled over. All of this had started so recently. I had trained her so rigorously not to let feelings cloud her judgment, to stay sharp, composed, unbreakable. She had learned. She had excelled. But who would have thought I’d be facing this version of her now?I could hear the scream building in her throat even though she hadn’t released it yet. Her heartbeat thundered loud enough for me to catch. I could sense her lips trembling, the way her breath hitched. She had too much swirling in that head of hers.“So,” I said, my voice low and controlled as I leaned against the vanity table, half my ass resting on it
Amber.I couldn’t bring myself to tell Zeden what had happened at the dance studio and bookstore, even after he returned from his trip. The guilt sat like a stone in my stomach. I kept waiting for the guards to mention it—they never kept a single thing from him. It was as if they had taken an oath to report every detail, every movement, every whisper, for as long as they drew breath. Their loyalty to Zeden ran deeper than blood.But Zeden had been strangely quiet about it. Even that evening, I couldn’t bring the words to my lips. And the next morning, the secret still burned inside me.Suddenly, noises of voices drifted from behind the door. I tried to slip out of Zeden’s arms, which were wrapped possessively around me in bed, but he drew me back firmly against his chest.“Where the hell are you going?” he asked in a sleepy, gravelly tone. “Don’t tell me you’re leaving to go check on Yulia again. This is the third time now.”“Can’t you hear the voices behind the door?” I whis
Amber.The drive to Yulia’s dance studio was quiet but filled with a fragile kind of hope. Sunlight filtered through the tinted windows of the car as we moved beyond the usual compound walls. Zam sat beside me, gazing outside with quiet fascination, while Yulia bounced excitedly in her seat, chattering nonstop about her new dance moves. For the first time in weeks, the air between us felt a little lighter.When we arrived at the studio, I turned to Zam in the waiting area. “Baby, hold the bags for me. I’ll hurry and help Yulia change into her dance clothes.”Zam nodded without protest, taking the bags from my hands. “Okay, Mama.”Although I wasn’t entirely comfortable leaving her alone, old fears crept in as I walked away with Yulia. What if Zam decided to walk out and explore on her own? Zeden would be furious—just like the last time years ago when I had taken her out as a little girl and she had been kidnapped. The memory still sent chills down my spine.Zam must have notice
Amber.It had been two whole weeks since that explosive incident with Zam—the shattered plate, the shouting, the scissors, the hidden strands of hair.Time had blurred the sharp edges, but the weight of it still sat heavy in my chest every single day. Although the locking-herself-in-her-room phase hadn’t stopped entirely, she had grown quieter. Too quiet. She no longer talked back with that fiery defiance or slammed doors. She simply moved through the house like a shadow—polite when spoken to, but distant, eyes always somewhere far away. I wondered constantly what was going on in her mind. Was she still hurting? Planning something? Or had she simply given up fighting the invisible walls her father had built around her?I sighed and continued arranging Yulia’s room. The maids usually handled the cleaning, but Yulia had a talent for turning any tidy space into complete chaos within minutes. Toys were scattered everywhere—dolls in dramatic poses, tiny costumes draped over chai
Amber.I was kneeling on the dining room floor, scrubbing like my life depended on it.The new maid uniform Daya had brought me felt stiff and foreign against my skin.I was sure Zeden had sent her to replace the torn one from yesterday.This life wasn’t living. Being a maid here meant selling e
Amber.The next day felt like walking into a trap that had already snapped shut around me.The dining room smelled of fresh coffee and warm bread, the kind of breakfast that cost more than most people earned in a month.Sunlight poured through the tall windows and bounced off polished silverware
Amber.I knew walking into this place was the wrong choice the second the heavy gate groaned shut behind me.I should have turned around right then, grabbed the tray, hurried back to the kitchen, and told Daya Zeden wasn’t in his room when she asked later.But curiosity, the stupid, reckless par
Amber.I bobbed slowly, letting saliva pool and drip down his shaft. My free hand braced on his thigh, feeling the muscle tense under my palm.I hollowed my cheeks harder, sucking on the upstroke, tongue pressing flat along the underside on the way down.Every time he hit the back of my throat







