~~~DARIUS.There was silence in the room for a long while.Not the calm kind or the empty kind.The kind that made every sound louder, every breath, every shift of weight, and every heartbeat.I watched the woman closely, listening beyond sight. Her heart was steady, too steady in fact. It was slow, even, and unafraid. There was no panic in her rhythm, no spike of dread, and no frantic flutter beneath her ribs.Only the blood smeared across her lips told me she had already been handled.I finally moved and settled into the chair across from her, crossing my legs with deliberate ease.“You know what is worse than fear?” I asked.She lifted her gaze to me, eyes sharp, defiant, and unblinking. She did not answer.“Pain,” I said.Her head tilted slightly, curiosity flickering through her expression as she tried to follow my thoughts.“Fear makes the mind run,” I continued calmly. “It imagines, guesses and prepares.” I leaned back. “But pain… pain does not ask for permission.”I rose to my
Last Updated : 2025-12-20 Read more