PHOEBEI woke up to silence and darkness. The kind of silence that feels like a weight. My head was pounding, dull, heavy thuds that echoed with every breath. I tried to lift my hands, to reach for something, anything, but they wouldn't move.My arms were pinned to my sides. Tight. My wrists scrape against something rough. Rope? Metal? It bites into my skin when I shift. Cold. Rigid. Real.My breath catches.I tried to move again. Nothing. I was boxed in.I was locked in a room.A small room.Too small.Panic starts low in my stomach, a sick twist that rises fast. My lungs tighten as the realization crashes into me, a wave I couldn’t dodge. I couldn’t breathe properly. The air feels thin, stale, like it had been sitting still for hours. Maybe days.I was not great with small spaces.That was putting it lightly.I’ve hated them since I was little. ever since I got trapped in my closet during hide and seek. I remember clawing at the door, the scream that never made it out, the dark pres
RAMONI didn’t relent in attacking Richard. “You moved her during a meeting. In front of clients. You gave a signal. Your men took her out.”He stared at me like I’d grown branches out of my head. “You’re deflecting. But okay. Let’s entertain your theory.”My pulse pounded in my ears. “Don’t you dare reverse this. I know what you do. What you’re capable of.”He tilted his head, like he was studying me under a microscope. A cold smirk tugged at his lips. “You love her.”My mouth went dry. I hated how easily he said it. Like it was some dirty secret. Like it was a weapon in his hands.He stepped forward, voice dropping to something barely above a whisper. “And you’re willing to throw us both off-balance to get her back.”I clenched my jaw, eyes burning. “None of this is about you,” I spat. “You lied. You lied to her, to me, to your board. You messed with both our lives.”He chuckled lightly, hands in his pockets like this was a casual chat. “Ramon, you’re acting like a saint in a room f
RAMONI didn’t relent in attacking Richard. “You moved her during a meeting. In front of clients. You gave a signal. Your men took her out.”He stared at me like I’d grown branches out of my head. “You’re deflecting. But okay. Let’s entertain your theory.”My pulse pounded in my ears. “Don’t you dare reverse this. I know what you do. What you’re capable of.”He tilted his head, like he was studying me under a microscope. A cold smirk tugged at his lips. “You love her.”My mouth went dry. I hated how easily he said it. Like it was some dirty secret. Like it was a weapon in his hands.He stepped forward, voice dropping to something barely above a whisper. “And you’re willing to throw us both off-balance to get her back.”I clenched my jaw, eyes burning. “None of this is about you,” I spat. “You lied. You lied to her, to me, to your board. You messed with both our lives.”He chuckled lightly, hands in his pockets like this was a casual chat. “Ramon, you’re acting like a saint in a room f
SIERRAI dropped to my knees in the middle of the room, knees scraping against gravel. I didn’t even feel it, just cold, hard ground pressing into me like the weight of the world had finally won.The world spun. My ears were ringing. My chest rose and fell too fast, like I couldn’t remember how to breathe properly anymore.She was just at the hospital. Just hours ago.We had talked. We had argued. She had looked at me. She had said my name like it hurt her mouth to speak it. And now they were saying, her father said, she was gone? A plane crash? It couldn’t be real. That wasn’t real.I covered my face with both hands, fists clenching over my mouth, trying to stop the scream building in my throat. My lips moved, barely forming a whisper. “No.” I said it again, louder, more broken this time. “No, no, no…”Gravel bit into my knees, my thighs trembled. My hair clung to my face as tears broke loose and slipped down like silent streaks of fire. “She was just here…”“Phoebe…” Ramon’s voice w
PHOEBEI dragged my coat back on, running my fingers through my hair. “I can’t believe her,” I muttered, my voice shaking with frustration as I followed Ramon down the quiet hospital hallway. “She judges everything…every choice I make, every person I care about. It’s like she wants me to live life her way.”Ramon’s steps slowed and he put a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Phoebe… she’s just protecting you,” he said quietly.“By shutting me out?” I snapped. “By blaming me for everything? That doesn’t sound like protection, it sounds like punishment.”He sighed and let his hand fall. “I know you feel hurt. But she…”“She did more than hurt me,” I interrupted, spinning around to face him.Ramon raised a hand. “Go to her again. Talk it out calmly. Hear her side. Let her know how much this matters to you.”I stared at him, something hot burning behind my eyes. “I will. I’m not letting this go.”He nodded, relief flickering in his eyes. “Good.”But I couldn’t shake the twisting in my chest, th
WINNIEI bolted upright in my seat, heart pounding. “No…help! Somebody! This isn’t right!”Richard strolled forward slowly, as calm as if he were greeting me at a dinner party. “Winnie. Don’t. It’s useless.”I froze. “You…what are you doing here?”I want none of this. I want nothing to do with Phoebe, with Ramon, with you,” I said, voice shaking but determined. “I just want to go home.”Richard leaned back, folding his hands in his lap. The cabin's lights glinted off the polished metal of the seat belt latch behind him. “Home,” he repeated softly. “Such a comforting word.”My fists clenched. “Yes…home. My own home. Where no one’s tied me up or threatened me. Where I’m not part of your games.”He let out a low chuckle. “Game?” he echoed. “This isn’t a game, Winnie.”I laughed bitterly, tears stinging my eyes. “Then what is it? A kind favor from someone my dad trusts? Some twisted rescue mission?”Richard’s face didn’t change. “Your father did what any parent would do. He panicked. He w