"Lock her up until I decide when she'll step out once more."
Nexus's ominous voice thundered. And at once, Irene seized my shoulder, her grip firm and unyielding, dragging me away from the cold, unyielding ground that felt like it absorbed my despair.
I glanced back at the man who had called me his daughter, the same man I had considered my father. He averted his gaze, a wall of indifference rising between us, and my heart sank deeper into the pit of despair.
"Please, don't lock me up," I begged, my voice trembling with desperation, but he wouldn't meet my eyes; instead, he turned away, as if my very existence had become unbearable.
My heart ached, and the sting on my cheek throbbed, a cruel reminder of the slap that had echoed through the air earlier, loud and jarring. Tears streamed down my face, mingling with the pain that both stung and burned my skin.
