Absolution | +18

Chapter 54

Val

I tore my eyes away from my mother, the weight of her words suffocating me, and looked over at Silas. He stood rigid, his fists clenched at his sides, his chest heaving with restrained fury. But it wasn't just rage that I saw in his face—it was something far worse. Beneath the hardened exterior, beneath the seething anger, there was hurt, a deep wound that was laid bare for all to see. His jaw was tight, his gaze locked on the floor as if he couldn't bear to look at me, as if the truth we had uncovered was too much to face.

"Silas..." I choked out, my voice raw and desperate. "Silas, please look at me!"

But he didn't. His entire body was stiff, like a taut string ready to snap, and still, he refused to meet my eyes. The silence between us stretched on, unbearable, as if my plea had fallen into an abyss. I could feel my chest tighten, the air growing thick with the weight of everything unsaid.

"Silas!" I screamed this time, my heart shattering at the sight of him turning away from me. I could see it now—the cracks forming, the distance growing, the betrayal I hadn't meant to cause but was somehow now woven between us. "Please..."

But he didn't move. He sat there, unflinching, and I could see the war waging inside him. The fury, the betrayal, and the pain. It was all right there, etched into his features, and it broke something deep inside of me. Because I knew—whatever hope I had of saving him, of saving us—was slipping away with every passing second.

A surge of clarity cut through the suffocating despair as the memory hit me like a lightning strike. I remembered. She's alive.

"She's alive!" I screamed, the words tearing from my throat. My voice echoed off the cold, unforgiving walls, filled with a desperation that shook me to my core. My chest heaved as I turned toward my mother, my eyes wide with realization. "You took her! You have her!"

My mother's face didn't change, but there was a flicker of something behind her eyes, something dark and twisted that confirmed everything. She remained silent, letting the weight of my revelation sink in.

"I've been speaking to her!" I cried, my voice growing louder, my hope rising. "She's been texting me, reaching out to me... Lia's alive! She's here!"

At that moment, I heard a sharp intake of breath, and my head snapped toward Silas. His expression had changed. The rage had faltered, replaced with something else—a look of disbelief, as if he couldn't quite process what I was saying. His eyes, once cast downward, now locked onto mine for the first time since this nightmare began.

But when he spoke, his voice was low, raw with pain. "Val... she's dead. Lia's dead."

I shook my head violently, refusing to accept it. "No, Silas! No, I've talked to her! She's alive, I swear! She's been with me this whole time!" Tears streamed down my face, my hands shaking with the intensity of my emotions.

But Silas only stared at me, his eyes dark with sorrow and disbelief. "Val, I was there," he whispered, his voice breaking. "I saw what they did to her. Lia's gone. She's been gone for years."

"No!" I screamed, my entire body trembling with the force of my denial. "I've spoken to her! She's not gone! She's alive, Silas. She's here!" I was sobbing now, the raw ache of the truth, or whatever twisted reality I had been living in, bubbling to the surface.

Silas just sat there, his face etched with so much pain I could hardly stand it. And my mother—my mother just watched, her eyes gleaming with sick amusement, enjoying the chaos she had sown.

"You're lying," I choked out, my gaze snapping back to her. "You've had her this whole time, haven't you? You made me believe she was gone, but she's not. You've kept her from me. Where is she?"