Chapter 14: nothing but pain

Chapter 14: nothing but pain
I thought the worst of last night was behind me. Onyx’s fury, Skye’s cold arrogance, both of them treating me like a prize to be fought over, I thought maybe the house would give me a moment to breathe, even if it was just the length of a heartbeat.
But I was wrong.
The air in the hallways was thick that morning. Heavy. Like even the walls were listening. The stone always carried sound in this place, and I could hear the maids whispering long before I saw them. My name was on their tongues, even when they tried to hide it behind their hands.
“Pathetic little thing,” one of them muttered as I passed.
“She’ll be gone soon. I bet Morgana will see to that,” another snickered.
I kept walking. Eyes on the floor. Shoulders tight. Pretend you can’t hear. Pretend you don’t feel the way their words slice.
But then I saw her.
Morgana.
She was already standing at the end of the corridor, dressed like she had just stepped out of a portrait. Her gown clung to her frame in rich green velvet, a jeweled pin in her hair that made her look like the perfect matriarch she wanted the world to see. Only her eyes gave her away, sharp, cold, hungry.
“Blair.”
My feet stopped moving even though my brain screamed at me to keep going. I bent my head in some clumsy attempt at respect, though it probably looked more like a child flinching.
“Come here,” she said, her tone light, but with enough weight to crush me if I hesitated.
I obeyed. My legs carried me even as my chest locked up. She watched me the way a hawk watches a mouse.
When I stopped a few steps away from her, she smiled. It wasn’t kind. It was the sort of smile someone wears when they already know the end of your story.
“I hear you’ve been busy.” Her voice was soft, almost sweet. “Busy with my son, again.”
My breath caught. My head snapped up before I could stop myself. “I, don’t know what you mean.”
Her laugh was quiet, but it rang out in the corridor like the toll of a bell. “Don’t insult me, girl. Do you think I don’t have eyes? Do you think this house doesn’t have ears?”
I swallowed hard. The floor suddenly became more interesting than her gaze. If I looked at her too long, I might crumble right there.
“You’re nothing,” she said plainly. “Do you know that? You are filth brought into this house out of pity. And yet, somehow, you’ve crawled your way close enough to touch what doesn’t belong to you.”
Her words burned. I tried to steady my voice, but it cracked anyway. “I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Wrong?” She tilted her head, amused. “You exist where you shouldn’t. That is wrong enough.”
I clenched my fists at my sides. If I spoke, I’d regret it. If I stayed silent, she’d still win.
Morgana stepped closer, her perfume filling the space between us. It was heavy, suffocating. “Do you know what it looks like, Blair? A servant girl tangling herself with my son and my husband's bastard. Do you know what people will say about him? About our family?”
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t.
She reached out suddenly, her hand cold as she gripped my chin and forced my face up. Her nails dug into my skin. “You will not embarrass us. Do you understand me? You will not ruin what I have built.”
I jerked my head away, stumbling back. The maids in the corner gasped quietly, covering their mouths like they had just witnessed a scandal. But none of them moved. None of them would help me.
Morgana’s eyes narrowed. “Ungrateful little thing. After all we’ve given you, this is how you repay us?”
I felt something in me snap. “Given me?” My voice shook, but the words escaped before I could bite them back. “You’ve given me nothing but pain.”
The silence that followed was brutal. Even the maids stopped breathing.
Morgana stared at me like she’d just been slapped. Then, slowly, she began to smile again, but this time there was no amusement in it. Only malice.
“You’ll regret that.”
Her voice was low, venom curling around every syllable. She turned, her gown swishing as she walked away, leaving the air colder than before. The maids rushed to follow her, whispering like a flock of crows.
I stayed there, rooted to the spot, my body trembling. My cheek still burned where her nails had grazed me.
I wanted to scream. I wanted to break something. But instead, I wrapped my arms around myself and sank against the wall.
Why was I still here? Why hadn’t I run when I had the chance?
Because I had nowhere to go.
And now Morgana knew. She knew enough to make my life a thousand times worse.
I pulled my knees up to my chest and buried my face. For a long while, I just sat there, shaking and small, wishing I could vanish into the stone.
But I couldn’t vanish. I couldn’t escape. Not yet.
And if Morgana wanted to destroy me, she’d have to work harder.