She was exactly where I wanted her—on the floor, trembling, marble biting into her knees like penance. But it wasn’t pain she flinched from—it was the moment itself. That flicker in her gaze when she realized she couldn’t talk her way out of this. Not this time. Her body was caught between instincts: protect or submit. Her arms were stiff at her sides, fingers curled into useless fists, like she didn’t know whether to fight or beg. That hesitation—that crack between resistance and surrender—that’s where truth hides. I stood over her, silent, still. Sometimes stillness is more violent than force. She looked up. Didn’t look away. That was new. That was rare. Sia never looked this long. None of them ever did. But Floris met my stare like she was daring me to flinch first. “Just because my brother has medical debt,” she rasped, her voice fracturing like glass under a boot, “and I’m stuck paying it off—doesn’t mean you get to pull this twisted power-trip bullshit with
Last Updated : 2025-10-03 Read more