Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Calliope stood in front of the mirror, staring blankly at her bruised reflection. The marks scattered across her skin didn’t feel new to her. She had seen them before, felt them before—traces left by the hands of men who had paid to touch her, to spend a night with her. Her body had long since grown numb to the sensation, trained to endure, conditioned to withstand the treatment. It had become a routine—a job she accepted as part of her life. But no amount of experience could prepare her for the feeling of being forced. The violation, the helplessness—it made her stomach churn in ways she hadn’t felt in years.

She ran her fingers over the bruises, her expression hardening. It wasn’t pain that she felt, not physically. Her body had become used to this, used to being touched without affection, used to being treated like an object. But the disgust that crept under her skin, the feeling of being overpowered and broken—that was something she couldn’t numb herself to. No matter h