He Saw My Soul, Not My Scars

ina

n losing her mind like that." "Poor Elena, what she must have endured." Their words, like tiny needles, pricked at the raw wounds of my sou

ady. No one came for me. No one called. My rich husband, the man w

iah. My feet, as if possessed, drew me closer. Through the crack in the door, I saw him, holding

murmured, his voice thick with a tenderness I had never truly heard directed at

remiah. We'll be together now, won't we? Just lik

that stole the air from my lungs. "Celina was just a means to an end. A

Necessary evil. His true destiny. All this time, I had been a pawn, a vessel for his ambiti

teps echoing in the empty hall. Rain lashed down outside, mirroring the storm in my heart. I walked aimlessly, the cold water soak

on. I walked in, my steps heavy, and stared at the wreckage of my life. My clothes were still in scattered piles, my belongings haphazardly thr

worn sweater, the small locket my mother had given me. My body screamed wit

inally overcoming me. The world spun, and th

e. Water. Cold, dark water pressed in on all sides. I was in a giant glass box, a transparen

ing his lips, watching me, his eyes devoid of emotion. Predator and prey. My

y voice muffled by the thick glass. The

audible. "You caused Elena pain, Celina. She's upset.

my hands against the glass. "Chec

re about the truth? Your truth? You're a venomous, un

. My eyes widened in horror as he untied it. Snakes. Dozens of

heir scaly bodies brushing against my skin. I screamed, a guttural sound of pure terror, thrashing agai

creamed, my voice hoarse, t

they did, who would believe the 'mentally unstable' ex-wife?" He paused, his eyes gleaming with

rkness. Only the faint glow from the water-filled tank illuminated my living hell. The snakes slithered closer, their fangs

g day. His vows. "I will protect you, cherish you, love you, until d

I thrashed, but the snakes were everywhere. My lungs burned. My vision dimmed. The last thi

out. Gasps. Coughs. My body was on th

istant and detached, reached my ears. "Three days. No

kness. The stench of decay, of something long dead, filled my nostrils. I tried to stand, to find my bearings, but my legs buckled. I fell, my

mains beneath my trembling fingers. I lost track of time, of reality. My mind fractured, my bod