Free Web NovelChapter 141: Chapter 141 Scaring Virella
_Rowena’s POV_
When they brought me back to the room where I’d escaped from, they actually cuffed me to the bed. I almost laughed out loud, telling them straight how weak they were.
They’d been negligent enough to let me not jus leave this room, but almost left their amateurish hospital as well.
I shifted slightly and they cuffs dug into my wrist.
The cold metal bit against my skin that was already raw from trying to wiggle it out.
I had already tested the headboard twice and quietly of course, while no one was watching.
I was testing it for weakness, to know how weak or strong it was. But unfortunately for me, there was nothing. Whoever set this up wasn’t taking chances anymore. I could give them kudos for it.
I should have known they wouldn’t too.
The window across the room let in a small ray of light, just enough for me to count the hours by how the ray move across the floor. I had been doing that a lot lately, counting things.
I’ve counted hours, counted breaths, even heartbeats. It was easier than thinking about how long i had actually been in this room, or how far away rescue might still be.
Come to think of it, Alaric and the others had wasted so much time. Was Virella that good at hiding me? No, was Theodore that good at hiding me?
The door suddenly opened before I could think further, and Virella walked in first, Theo trailing a step behind her like a puppet. I kept my face still and blank as usual. It was the only weapon I had left in this room, and I intended to use it fully.
“Look at her,” Virella said, stopping at the foot of the bed, her eyes sweeping over me with disgust. “Trying to crawl out of a hospital bed like some desperate stray.”
I said nothing to that, there was no need to entertain her with my words.
“You really thought you could just walk out of here?” she continued, stepping closer. “Did you think no one would notice? That you’d just disappear into the night and everything would go back to how it was?”
I held her gaze evenly, even though my body felt weaker than I wanted to admit. The room blurred slightly if I focused too hard, and my limbs heavier than they should be. I was paler than usual, I knew because I could feel it in the way my skin felt cold.
“You should be more careful,” I said instead. “Talking that much usually means you’re nervous.”
Her expression twisted, and before I could brace for it, her hand cracked across my face.
The sting spread fast and hot, and for a moment my vision swam. I heard Theodore step forward immediately, his hand catching her wrist before she could hit me again.
“Enough,” he said, his voice low. “She’s already weak. You hit her like that again and you might actually kill her before we’re ready for that.”
Virella yanked her hand free, glaring at him, though she didn’t try to hit me again. “She tried to escape, Theo. She doesn’t get to be treated gently after that.”
“I’m not asking you to treat her gently,” he stated. “I’m telling you not to cause damage we can’t undo.”
I almost laughed, despite the pain still pulsing across my cheek. He were concerned about damage? How thoughtful of him. As if either of them had ever cared what happened to me beyond how useful I still was.
Virella turned back to me, her voice climbing again. “You ruined everything the moment you decided to fight back instead of just accepting your place. None of this had to happen this way. You could have just disappeared quietly, and none of us would have had to deal with any of this.”
“Disappear quietly,” I repeated, my voice rough. “Ever since I left Kaelen, did you see me return to him or even entertain him? What exactly are you afraid of? He was my left over, one that I left behind and you chose to pick up, how does that affect me?”
Her jaw tightened and it looked painful.
“You don’t know anything!” she snapped.
“I know enough,” I replied. “I know you’re scared. People who aren’t scared don’t need to keep someone chained to a bed.”
She stepped closer again, and I could see the fury building behind her eyes, barely held together. I kept talking anyway, because right now, the only power I had left was my voice, and I wasn’t going to waste it staying quiet.
“Does it eat at you?” I asked, watching her face carefully despite the haze still pulling at my vision. “Knowing none of this is real. Knowing the only reason you have any of it is because you took it from someone else.”
“Shut up!” she yelled, but her voice wavered slightly.
“I will,” I said. “Once you do something about it instead of just talking.”
“Rowena,” Theodore called out quietly in a warning tone, though it wasn’t clear who exactly he was warning.
I ignored him.
“You should kill me now,” I continued.
The room went quiet.
Even Theodore standing slightly behind her, seemed to freeze for a second.
“What?” Virella asked, clearly not expecting that.
“You heard me,” I said, my voice steady. “If you’re going to keep me like this, locked up, cuffed to a bed like an animal, then just kill me now. Because I promise you, Virella, if I get out of here, if I escape this place even once, I will make sure the rest of your life is something you regret living.”
“You’re bluffing,” she laughed, though there was something flickering under the laughter now. She was too weak. Imagine how scared she got.
“Try me.”
For a long moment, no one spoke.
Even Theodore had gone quiet, his eyes flicking between the two of us like he wasn’t sure anymore which direction this was about to go.
Then Virella’s face twisted into something colder than before, and she grinned. ƒreewebɳovel.com
“You want to die that badly?” she asked, her voice shaking with anger. “Fine. I’ll kill you myself and throw your body into the ocean.”
