ELARA POVA knock lands on my door, and I sigh. “Go away, Nero. Please.”I don’t understand why he won’t listen to me. Isn’t this what he wanted? For me to be docile and quiet, to make myself small and not stain his sight? I’m doing exactly what he wants, so why won’t he just leave me alone?The gentle knock comes again, and I curl the blanket tighter around myself. I have been like this for days. My routine has become mechanical; except for eating and bathing, I don’t do anything else.I relive that horrific incident, thinking about ways I could have fought more to save myself, but I always hit a wall, letting me know I’m doomed in every situation like this. I can do nothing to save myself. The worst of my memories have been resurfacing ever since that incident. Those moments when a heavy weight is pressed down on me and I can’t move. When rancid breath fans over my face and hands dig into my skin, taking whatever they want.Sometimes I get saved, like Nero did, but a few times no
Last Updated : 2025-12-04 Read more