Chapter 61 The Glass ( Demilia’s POV)
They called it protective custody. I knew better this was a glass cell, plain and simple. The car they used didn’t have any markings, windows tinted just enough to keep curious eyes out. Shadows flickered across the glass, like a show for anyone watching. That’s all it was, really a performance of safety.
Ethan couldn’t even sit next to me. That small detail stung more than they’d ever guess. They separated us so politely, as if keeping us apart would somehow make us harmless.
“Standard procedure,” the agent said when Ethan pushed back.
“There’s nothing standard about this,” he snapped, voice barely steady.
I reached for Ethan before they closed the door, fingers brushing his wrist for just a second. I wanted him to feel that some proof we were still in this together.
“I’ll be fine,” I whispered, though my heart was pounding.
He didn’t say a word back, but the look in his eyes said enough. Come back to me.
The facility wasn’t underground, which threw me off. Instead, it sat on a hill above the city, all glass and steel, dressed up as a federal maternal protection center. Clean lines, muted colors, soft lighting—like they thought they could trick my body into feeling safe.
But all that shine couldn’t hide the real story.
They led me into a “private suite.” That’s what they called it. Ignoring the cameras in every corner and the fact that the windows wouldn’t open, it almost looked comfortable.
A woman in scrubs greeted me with an overly warm smile. “Mrs. Blackwell,” she said, “I’m Dr. Keller. I’ll be overseeing your care.”
Her voice sounded kind, but her eyes were all business.
“I didn’t consent to detention,” I told her, my voice steady.
“You consented to safety,” she replied. “This is the same thing.”
“It’s not,” I said, refusing to let her twist it.
She nodded toward the bed. “Please, sit.”
I didn’t move. “How long?” I asked, not backing down.
“As long as necessary,” she said, just a touch too slow.
“For what?” I pushed.
“For things to stabilize,” she answered, and I could hear what she really meant. Not me, just their story.
Ethan
As soon as those doors shut behind her, everything snapped into focus.
This wasn’t a negotiation anymore. Reyes had moved from manipulation straight to captivity.
“She’s pregnant,” I said into the secure line. Right now, that phone was the only thing anchoring me. “You don’t get to make her disappear.”
Reyes let out a slow breath. “She’s safer where she is.”
“That’s a lie,” I shot back. I could feel the anger rising. “You know it.”
“You’re emotional,” she said, voice calm, but I could hear that edge underneath. “That makes you ineffective.”
“No, it makes me honest,” I fired back.
Silence. Heavy.
“Release her,” I said, voice low and sharp.
“Not happening,” she replied. No hesitation.
I ended the call, fists clenched, frustration simmering just beneath my skin.
Adrian and Liora exchanged a look, worry plain on their faces. “We can’t storm a federal facility,” Adrian reminded me.
“No,” I said, “but we can expose it.”
Liora’s fingers flew across her tablet. “I’m already rerouting feeds. If they’re watching her, we’re watching them.”
“They’ll shut us out,” Adrian warned.
“Eventually,” Liora said. “We just need enough time to get proof.”
I stared at the live feed as it flickered onto the screen. There was Demilia, alone but still unbroken. Even through the glass, I could see her defiance.
Demilia
The first night crawled by in silence. Not peace, just a heavy, unnatural quiet.
They let me sleep. Let me shower. The food tasted like it had been engineered for maximum blandness. I kept waiting for some crack in their routine, but nothing came. The whole thing felt like a power play, and I was just a piece on their board.
The next day, the questions started. Well, “assessments,” they called them.
“How are you feeling emotionally?” Dr. Keller asked, sitting across from me, tablet in hand.
“Angry,” I said, staring right back.
She gave me a gentle smile, the kind that tries to look understanding but just ends up condescending. “That’s understandable.”
“Is it?” I shot back. “Or is it just inconvenient for you?”
Her pen hovered in the air. “Why would it be inconvenient?”
“Because exhaustion makes people easier to control,” I said, voice steady. I knew exactly what this was.
“Demilia,” she said, “we’re trying to help you.”
“No,” I said, holding her gaze. “You’re trying to rewrite me.”
With every session, the walls closed in a little more. Still, something stubborn inside me refused to bend. A seed of defiance, growing stronger every day.
Ethan’s POV
Day six. That’s when Reyes finally slipped.
She didn’t drop a full story just enough to stir things up and cast doubt. Poison in the water.
I read the update out loud, anger twisting in my gut. “‘Anonymous sources are suggesting Demilia is being evaluated for stress-induced delusions. That her activism is just a coping mechanism.’”
Adrian clenched his jaw. “She’s pathologizing her. Classic.”
Liora nodded. “She’s late to the game.”
I frowned. “How so?”
She pulled up a mess of live feeds and mirrored sites from servers overseas.
“The platform’s not slowing down,” she said. Her eyes were bright, almost wild. “It’s changing.”
Adrian leaned in, scanning the streams. “They’re telling their own stories now. No single leader. Just witnesses for each other.”
That hit me. “That’s real power,” I said, hoping to flicker for the first time in days.
Adrian looked thoughtful. “They don’t need Demilia anymore.”
I shook my head. “No. She made herself impossible to erase.”
My phone buzzed with an unknown number. I picked it up without thinking.
A woman’s voice, sharp and hurried. “Mr. Blackwell, you don’t know me. I’m on the inside.”
My pulse jumped. “Where’s my wife?”
“She’s stable,” she rushed out. “But they’re watching her.”
I didn’t even bother to hide my frustration. “Yeah. That’s the problem.”
She hesitated, then took a breath. “They’re escalating. Psych evals, meds.”
Ice in my veins. “She doesn’t need medication.”
“She knows. She’s resisting carefully.”
“How long do we have?” I pushed.
She swallowed. “Days. Not weeks. Before they try to declare her unfit.”
I relayed everything to Adrian and Liora, my mind racing. “We’re out of time.”
Demilia’s POV
The tray landed at noon with a plastic cup, two pills, and water. All so tidy.
“Doctor says you need these,” the nurse said. Her smile felt brittle, barely hiding the strain.
“For what?” My hands shook a little.
“Mood stabilization.” I heard the real message in her tone orders from above.
I stared at those tiny pills. They looked harmless. I knew better.
“No,” I said, steady as I could manage.
She paused. “Mrs. Blackwell”
“I decline,” I repeated. “Write it down.”
She left, but my heart hammered so hard I had to sit down.
That’s when I realized I didn't care anymore. This was control.
They’d already cut my calls with Ethan to ten monitored minutes a day. By day five, they took my phone.
But day six changed everything.
That nurse with the careful walk leaned in and whispered, “Your husband is close.” Just those words. Like a match to dry grass.
I knew what I had to do.