Sometimes, Brielle's apartment felt more like a mausoleum than a home. The walls were bare except for a few old sketches she'd taped up, reminders of pieces she once thought might be brilliant. A sagging couch sat in the corner, its cushions dented where she curled up at night, too exhausted to make it to her bed. Empty coffee mugs cluttered every surface—faded reminders of all the mornings she'd promised herself today would be different.
But each day was the same.
She wandered aimlessly through the apartment now, running her fingers along the chipped countertops and dusty shelves.
Outside, the city buzzed with life—muffled car horns, distant conversations, and the hum of a thousand people going somewhere she wasn't.
She wondered what it would feel like to belong out there, to be swept up in the current of it all, instead of drifting alone in this stagnant space.
Brielle leaned against the kitchen sink, staring out the small window above it. The sky was overcast, a dull gray that mirrored the heaviness sitting in her chest.
Across the street, she could see into the window of her neighbor's apartment—a young couple laughing as they cooked dinner together.
She watched them for a moment longer than she should have, the sight of their easy intimacy making her stomach twist with envy.
When was the last time she'd felt that close to someone?
When had she last shared a meal with someone who cared if she was okay?
She couldn't remember.
Her friends—what few remained—were growing more distant with every passing week.
Camille was the only one who still checked in, though even her texts were becoming less frequent.
Brielle understood.
People had their own lives, their own struggles.
No one had time to babysit someone who was stuck, especially someone as deeply stuck as Brielle was.
She opened the fridge out of habit, though she knew there wouldn't be much inside.
A carton of eggs, a block of cheese with a corner starting to mold, and a bottle of cheap wine.
She closed the door without taking anything, the emptiness inside it matching the gnawing hollowness she carried everywhere she went.
The silence in the apartment was suffocating.
She considered putting on music, something to fill the void, but even that felt like too much effort.
The quiet was familiar, if nothing else.
It was the kind of silence she knew how to live with—thick and heavy, wrapping around her like a second skin.
She picked up her phone from the counter, scrolling through messages she'd already read. No new notifications.
No missed calls.
Her thumb hovered over Camille's name, but she didn't type anything.
What would she even say?
Help me?
I don't know how to do this anymore?
The words felt pathetic, even in her mind.
Instead, she tossed the phone back onto the counter and grabbed the bottle of wine.
She didn't bother with a glass, twisting the cap off and taking a long sip straight from the bottle.
YOU ARE READING
Cage Of Glass
Misteri / Thriller'•.¸♡ In which a girl gets intangled in things she shouldnt♡¸.•' Lately, no matter how hard she tries, Brielle cannot seem to have inspiration for her art, causing her to go into financial ruin. However, after receiving a mysterious invitation , her...
