By the sixth day, I had learned how to use silence as a weapon. I stopped arguing with Nolan or Vespera. Stopped my snapbacks.It was hard, but the trick was to bite my tongue or inner cheek so hard that it bled; the physical pain would numb the emotional ones, and that would stop me from speaking back.Each time Nolan visited, which he's been doing frequently. I no longer met his eyes, always lowered my gaze in faux respect. I abused the show of grief, let them pity me.It didn't take long for him to notice that I had given up. He came in the evening, checking on me the way one checks on a possession after a storm. I was seated by the window, hands folded in my lap, staring at nothing.“You haven't eaten much," he said.“I'm not hungry," I replied softly. He studied me, wary, and I felt it. I almost even laughed at how comical it was. Then I turned, slow and careful, and let my eyes fill with so much regret, but not enough to seem hysterical.“I'm just thinking,” I said. "I shouldn't
Last Updated : 2026-08-28
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