CHAPTER 7

　　ARTEMIS' POV:-

　　THREE DAYS LATER:-

　　I was lying on the cold and dusty ground. It had been three days since I was locked up in a dungeon. The maids had tried to give me some chicken to eat. But every single time, a tall bitch came and scolded the maids who tried to give me something I could eat. To save myself from any allergic reactions, I decided to starve instead of eating something that was sort of a poison for me. I had no idea how I managed to open my eyes again. I didn't even have the strength to open my eyes. The plates full of boiled moong dal were set on the ground. They were rotting inside the cell I was in. But no one took it away.

　　I knew I couldn't eat moong dal. It nearly killed me when I was seven years old. Jenny learned from my father that I was allergic to moong dal. And she specifically cooked it for me. When I refused to eat, she forcefully stuffed it into my mouth and covered my mouth and my nose with her palms tightly so I wouldn't be able to breathe. I was almost out of breath when I gulped it down. She pulled her hands away, laughing hysterically as if she had won a war. Though, I was not able to inhale the oxygen. The moment moong dal made its way to my throat, my throat started itching from inside. And it swelled up within a few seconds.

　　I didn't remember anything else after that. When I opened my eyes again, I was in the hospital with a tube inside my throat. I had to stay in the hospital for a week to recover. And even then, I was barely able to whisper. When we got back home, Jenny, my step mother, told my father that I asked her to make me moong dal for lunch. And that I didn't tell her that I was allergic to moong dal. My dad started yelling at me crazily, without even asking if I had done it or not. Since the day Jenny stepped into our lives, my life had become a living hell. And I was worried that Jenny would fill my father's head with lies if I didn't run away from that place.

　　I slowly opened my eyes as I heard faint sounds of heels clicking on the concrete floor. I already knew who it really was. It was that bitch. I was barely breathing. They even took away my water so I wouldn't be able to fill my stomach with water. They were hurting me so much. And I had no idea why they were doing all that. She stopped in front of the cell I was in. My limbs felt so weak, I couldn't even move them. My heart was barely beating. My throat felt like a thousand thrones were scratching the insides of my throat. My lips were so chapped that they started to bleed. I needed water.

　　"What an ungrateful bitch! I have been offering you food and yet you decided to starve yourself to death. But how come you can be so lucky. I have no idea. The Alpha, my own husband, stood against me. And ordered me to get you a roasted chicken. He ordered the maids to give you back your water and remove the rotting food from your cell." She said those words in a hatred dripping tone. The guards opened the door of the cell. Three maids stepped into the cell. They quickly removed the plates of rotten food from my cell. A guard put back the water cooler inside my cell. She dismissed them all once they were done.

　　She waited until everyone was gone. She grabbed the chicken from the plate and I saw boiled moong dal again on the plate. She passed the place towards me. While she was eating chicken right in front of me. She ate all the meat and threw away the bones. "No one can order me. At least not when I know that a bitch like you can ruin my future. Either you eat moong dal. Or you starve yourself to death. I don't fucking care, you whore." She yelled at me angrily. Then she turned around and, swaying her hips like a whore, she walked away. While I was left alone in that cold and dark dungeon with a plate full of moong dal. For the first time in my life, its aroma made me gulp hard.

　　I crawled myself towards the plate, I was not able to sit up. "What are you doing? Don't you even think about it, Artemis. You can't do this to yourself. It's suiside. Just give me a few more days. I promise I will not make you wait until the full moon. I will get you out of here. Just don't you dare think about it." Tracy warned me as she saw me crawling weakly towards the plate. But I didn't care about anything at all. I knew that either I was going to die because of an allergic reaction, or I was going to die due to starvation. But one thing I was sure about. That I was going to die locked inside that dark and smelly dungeon cell.

　　I didn't care about anything at all. I had accepted my fate. "If this is what God has written in my fate, I accept it wholeheartedly. I am going to die either way. So either I eat it and die tonight. Or I don't eat it and die tonight. I am sorry Tracy. But I can't take it anymore. I need to eat. I can't stop myself." I replied to Tracy in my mind as I grabbed a handful of the content on the plate. I filled my mouth with the boiled grains and started gulping it down. My throat started to sting and then, it happened again. My throat started to swell up from inside. I grabbed my neck with both of my hands in agony.

　　I couldn't breathe. I opened my mouth as wide as I could and tried to inhale. But it was not working. I started scratching the ground in pain. My lungs started to burn due to the lack of oxygen. "Artemis! I told you not to do that. I will heal you. Just don't give up. Stay awake, Artemis. You have to stay awake. My consciousness is connected with your consciousness. If you faint, I will not be able to help you. Stay awake for the goddess' sake." I heard Tracy's voice fainting as the darkness started to engulf me. I tried so hard to keep my eyes open. But it didn't help. I started seeing stars and my fingers started getting numb. A signature that I was standing at the gates of my own death.

　　After trying so hard to stay alive, I finally gave up and closed my eyes. I didn't have any strength to keep my eyes open or to stay alive. "Mom! Please forgive me." Those were the last words that came into my mind until my brain completely shut down and I was swallowed into complete darkness.