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I glance at the rope again, at the way it sways just out of reach.

And I understand.This isn’t about me climbing out.This is about seeing how far I’ll go before she cuts the rope.My own flesh and blood is dangling hope in front of me to see how desperate I really am.

I step closer, staring up at her.

“You think this is going to change my mind?”I hurl the words upward, my voice cracking under the strain.“You think this will make me bend?”

Aoife’s expression doesn’t waver.“I think you have a decision to make.”

I let out a slow breath, my jaw ticking as I roll my shoulders back.

I don’t reach for the rope.I don’t move at all.

Instead, I hold her gaze and say, “You should’ve just killed me, Evie.Because after this, there’s no coming back.”

She turns to leave, but I step forward, my voice cutting through the space between us.

"You better hope I die in here," I snarl."Because if I get out,whenI get out, I’m coming for you."

She pauses just long enough for hope to claw its way up my throat.I almost believe she’ll turn back.But she doesn’t.Her heels strike the stone, each step hammering the coffin closed.

The lights cut out, ripping her from me, drowning everything in darkness.

I stand in the black, reaching for a rope I can no longer see.For a salvation that was never mine.

And I wait.

For the darkness to take me whole.

Aoife

I takea slow sip of my tea, the warmth doing little to settle the unease curling in my stomach.Outside, the late afternoon light spills through the curtains, too golden, too bright, like it’s trying to peel back the layers and expose something I don’t want to face.Maybe it is.I called off work and spent the day in the penthouse.I needed space to think.To figure out my next move.

It’s been weeks since I locked Ruairi in the pit, but it feels like a lifetime.Every hour gnaws at me, pressing heavier against my chest, making it harder to breathe, harder to think.I haven’t laid a hand on him.I haven’t needed to.

The darkness does the work.The silence.The slow, merciless bleed of time.

I know what it does to a mind.I know what it strips away.And I know what it’s doing to him.I don’t want to break him.

I only need him to bend.To see that I’m right, that I deserve my place at his side.That we’re stronger together than apart.

If he would only surrender, I could end this.We could stitch back what’s been torn open.But deep down, I know the truth—some wounds never heal.

And some fractures run too deep to mend.

My phone rings, cutting through the silence and making my stomach twist.

Glancing at the screen, I see that it’s my sister-in-law.A cold rush of dread spikes through me as I answer.

"Hey," I say, forcing my voice light.

"Hey," Bridget echoes.Her voice sounds even, but there’s a brittleness underneath.

"Everything okay?"I ask, pretending not to notice.

"Have you talked to Ruairi lately?"she asks.

I shift the mug in my hand, gripping it tighter."Not since we had lunch a few weeks ago.Why?"