His Name;Her Cage

ock broke t

cloud of her thoughts shattered like glass. She

served," the maid's voice called-p

ent, unsure why it suddenly looked like it led to

r, strange on her tongue-foreign, not because she hadn't eaten in fine di

he finally replied, her voice

rom the bed and approached the closet-her closet now,

ginable, every size tailored to fit her exactly. Dresses that clun

n. It flowed as she slipped into it, wrapping her in elegance she never thought she'd wear. Her hair, still slightl

oisturizer, then scanned the towering collection of perfumes. She picked a bottle with a soft rose-gold tint, spritzed

her finge

lm, even ethereal. But behind the soft

he's a

swal

, "This is a blessing, Scarlett. Don'

n't feel lik

en bars and diamond cuffs lik

n her chest, trying

ould know that her mind was spinning like a hurri

her chin, and stepped out of the room-

, guided by the gentle light of wall sconc

ootstep

did h

es were louder

ilver edges, crystal glasses tall enough to carry the weight of judgment and command, and chandeliers that echoed with diamonds. The s

arpet, the silk robe tied neatly at her waist. Her eyes swept the room-gr

e is

ed. The table looked too large for just one man. But th

r, tailored to sculpted perfection. The lighting above made his aqua-blue eyes darker-

just watched her, slowly, like a predator admiri

tayed up, but her

site end, when Kyle's voice sliced through the ai

aid attention to find

froze m

ou're scanning thi

er like a challenge. His Adam apple moved up and

ended up a purchased parcel.

ter was louder

fened. But she

n-gracefull

ed inside, but because she ref

en," she said quietly, her voice almost too calm. "

ond, something flick

ce? Amu

place it. He leaned back in his

for someone sold in autog

e picked up her fork i

ew again-sharp

alm, her heart slamm

and defiance mixed like

ndrews didn't

toni

this house already trie

ne, creamy mashed potatoes whipped like clouds, an

ett, it tast

and potatoes. No warm laughter from her brother, no oil-stained apron on her mothe

odbye-just vanished like smoke into the nig

bite was mechanical. She chewed like someone learning to eat all over again, ev

his fingers relaxed around the delicate stem, the

se and fall of his Adam's apple exaggerated by the silence.

t watch it... not with fa

d off on decisions that crushed men. Had d

allowed silenc

ke pieces of art-stood like guards waiting to be told when to bre

er an

eating

lier. He didn't need to. His presence filled

She chewed like worms crawling through rotting vegeta

she was a

the food l

y nerve in her b

etween them w

as a

s winning, withou

ly, he

oo polite for how much it startled her. He did

mply

r bedside table. Breakfast is at

, leaving his half-eaten meal and a roo

rozen, fork st

the door he

e since she arrived,

vel falling in court. She leaned against it, her back pressing against the soft wood, eyes stari

eautiful. Still grand. A sprinkle of pixie

r feet carried her toward the mirror as if in a trance. She stared at her reflection, still soft and flushed from the

ed and whispered, just above

fancy room, the silver reflective plates, the silen

used, the words heavy, "...and the wo

si

cracked silently in her mind. Cracks from pre

ansion, Scarlett let the bed cradle her comple

lavender and something unfam

osed h

h her heart s

e's

d luxurious in Kyle Mil

ged leather and sandalwood, like power distilled into air. Like control, just like the sounds of the ocean

rvat

ith the same tequila from dinner. He hadn't finished i

else

nch," he scribb

dn't st

room. Not for safety,

acity-not one born of rebellion

the pen against the

ed eyes. Bought like a parcel. Signed with blood and busines

ped th

the towering windows that gave hi

ut not from anger. From a th

eching flocks from Neon Ridge that seemed to fight for their morning spot, but a s

air seeme

r hair sprawled like a chestnut storm over silk pillows. Her alarm had gone off-twice. But the sleep

he body exhausted from carrying b

den

of the mower on the la

n like the first ray

he muttered under her breath,

5 a

: 8:00 a.

45 minut

s tangling in the sheets. "You've got to be kidding me,

e knock came-g

is waiting downstairs,"

omeone had just dumped

le is

him waiting or walking down, looking

d at the

at the

k at the

s mocki

al?" she muttered, c

bed the edge of the nearest v

s in. Five

Miles would already be judging

dressed in her life. Her hair was twisted into a soft, low bun, fingers shaking as they pinned it. A brush of balm o

the mirror. The girl in the reflect

in

anythi

, heart thumping like the hallw

e, twisted it, and stepped into the next storm-because

peace. The long table stretched between Scarlett and her fate lik

rs like a targe

appointment laced with disdain. His aqua-blue gaze no longer shimmered like the surfa

aused at t

top-it curled up a

minutes, not a

of a for

the butler? N

ld hear the ice shifting in the unto

en-he

olled. Dea

le's voice could've sliced bone, "...leading to him

clumsy... or is it

clenched the back of the nearest chair, knuckles pale. Th

r to. Her cheeks burned-not from shame, but f

outh, unsure wha

No goodbye. No nod. Not eve

the hall like a shadow that c

stubbornly than the food she barely touched. Her hands rested limply on her lap, her

marble announced the movement of a maid.

t. I'm headed to the

A command, not

toward the window just enough to catch a glimpse. He stepped into the vehicle without a glance back, his tailored

Oil an

crofinan

t had made her

once walked into for help

dged in h

e day her mother cried for hours in the small kitchen at Neon Ridge. Remembered the nights they went to bed with empty po

agined-was that the same man who once greeted her f

cold windowpane, her br

d. If her brother was still going to school or if

tter how soft the robes or luxurious the tu

held the key had