My Sunflower(Elio Story)

💛🌻Chapter 20: Suffocating Silence💛🌻

Trigger Warning ⚠️: This chapter contains themes of abuse, torture, panic attacks, and emotional distress. Reader discretion is advised.

My head lolled to the side, consciousness slipping through my grasp like sand. The cold stone floor pressed against my bare skin, rough and unforgiving, each pulse of pain making my limbs tremble. I gasped, a shallow, ragged breath escaping my lips, burning its way down my throat, as if the air itself was laced with needles. The chains clinked softly when I shifted, the metal biting into my wrists, but I couldn't find a position that didn't hurt.

A sudden buzz jolted through my pocket, the vibration a sharp contrast to the numbing ache in my body. My fingers twitched, stiff and raw, straining against the restraints as I reached down, the cold metal scraping against my skin. It took several tries, each movement sending a ripple of agony through my bones, but I finally managed to fish my phone out.

The screen lit up, casting a faint glow that seemed too bright in the oppressive darkness. My Moonflower ❤️‍🔥. The nickname flashed, and a flicker of warmth pierced through the haze clouding my mind. I could see Luna's name, the letters familiar and comforting, even if my fingers struggled to trace them.

I wanted to hear her voice so desperately, to have her words chase away the shadows that clung to me, but the muzzle over my mouth silenced even my sighs. The phone buzzed again, vibrating insistently against my palm, and my heart pounded as I declined the call. My trembling fingers hovered over the screen, clumsy but determined, as I opened the message app.

Elio: I can't talk right now.

I pressed send, my whole body protesting the effort, but I had to reach out-I had to hold on for her. Her reply came instantly.

My Moonflower ❤️‍🔥: Why? Are you okay??????

I hesitated, the room spinning as I tried to focus.

Elio: I'm just can't. I'm fine, really, Luna, my Moonflower. Why are you still awake?

Her next message made my blood run cold.

My Moonflower ❤️‍🔥: I can't sleep. I have a panic attack, my parents trap me again, this is their third time do it and I also have a panic attack about your safety.

I could almost hear her voice cracking, the panic that she couldn't mask. Her words were like a slap, jolting me out of my daze. My heart twisted, guilt mingling with the ache in my chest. She was scared because of me, worried when I couldn't even reassure her with my voice.

Elio: Luna, I'm sorry. I didn't know.

I wished I could hold her, stroke her hair, and tell her everything would be alright, but I was stuck here, shackled to my own hell.

My Moonflower ❤️‍🔥: I don't know what to do. I can't breathe, Elio.

I squeezed my eyes shut, picturing her gasping for air, tears welling up in those soft eyes of hers. The image stabbed at me, panic clawing its way up my throat. I forced myself to breathe, to focus. She needed me.

Elio: Just breathe, My Moonflower. In and out. Focus on my text, okay?

I pictured her, curled up in her room, trying to slow her breath, the way she'd squeeze her eyes shut when she was scared. The thought tore at me, but I couldn't afford to break now-not when she was reaching out to me.

My Moonflower ❤️‍🔥: I'm trying, but it feels like my chest is going to explode.

Her fear seeped through the screen, and I could almost hear her sobs between the words, each one echoing in the hollow space around me.