CHAPTER 48 : Silent SCARS

Vera’s POV

The cold stung my skin, seeping into every bone, every muscle, until even breathing felt like a reminder of where I was, and what I’d become. I’d lost track of the days—how many of them had been spent alone in this dark, forgotten cell with no sound but the occasional drip of water and my own shallow breaths? Even when I strained to listen, I couldn’t make out any footsteps, any voices. Only silence, creeping in and swallowing every last piece of warmth left in me.

I knew that I wasn’t just here because of my ties to Derek. They wanted to break me, to make an example out of someone they saw as dangerous, defiant. Sylvester was supposed to protect me, but I hadn’t seen his face, heard his voice, or felt any semblance of his presence. He’d turned his back, just like the rest of them.

My fingers curled into fists as the rage simmered just below the surface. Every bruise, every ache that pulsed through my body, only reminded me of what they wanted me to feel—small, helpless. Bu