CHAPTER 10

FIONA

I lay on my bed, legs folded to my chest, as the morning light seeped through the curtains. I had hardly slept last night, tears staining my pillow, the remnants of what Tristan had done to me, still haunting my thoughts. He had defiled me and left me here in pains. I couldn’t help but wish I could go back to my stepfather, as awful as he was. At least with him, my virtue had remained intact.

Despite having little choice in being here, I had hoped for something different. I was ready to start anew, to wipe the slate clean, and maybe, just maybe, find a way to regain my freedom. But barely a week in, and I was already being humiliated by the man who had purchased me. Was this the very reason he had bought me? The question nagged at me, tormenting my thoughts.

My mind wandered to the uncertain future that loomed before me. I dreaded the months and years to come, unable to fathom what horrors might befall me. I lay in my bed, lost in these grim thoughts, half asleep and half awake,