Page 37 of Inheritance

Then they cut the rope around my hands, and left.

And I...

I just sat there.

Shaking.

My breath was sharp, uneven, catching on every inhale. The chain bit into my skin. My whole body hummed with panic.

I swallowed hard.

I looked around, but my vision blurred at the edges, my mind clawing desperately for a way out, a weapon, something, anything?—

Nothing.

I was trapped.

My mind spun out of control. My thoughts ran ahead of me, faster, faster, breaking apart into jagged, terrible pieces.

What would they do to me?

I squeezed my eyes shut, but it only made it worse. Darkness let the fear in deeper, let it breathe.

Would Gabriel come for me?

The thought hurt.

Would he even know where to look?

Or had I disappeared too cleanly, swallowed whole by this nightmare?

And even if he did come...

Even if he did find me...

What would happen to me before then?

Would he even want me after?

Hot tears stung my eyes, streamed down my cheeks. Long enough for the weight of everything to settle in my bones. Long enough for the panic to drain me, leaving only exhaustion.

Sophia

Isat up, adrenaline pumping through me.How could I have fallen asleep?I blinked, disoriented, my pulse surging in my throat. The room was dimmer now, evening or early morning light bleeding weakly through the tall windows.

A man stood in front of me.

Older. Late fifties, maybe. Dressed in the crisp uniform of house staff. He wasn’t large or imposing. No cruel smirk. No hollowed-out eyes. Just a lined face, a tired mouth, and something else, something that looked like regret.

He held a small tray in his hands, A plate with a hunk of bread. A glass of water.

He set it down on the low table beside me, moving slowly, carefully, as if this was nothing new to him.

His eyes met mine for the briefest second. A sad, knowing look.

Then, without saying anything, he walked away.

I watched wordlessly as he finally disappeared through the archway at the end of the long, wide open hall.