Cote: The Unseen Ties

Scars of Submission

She knelt there with her hands shaking as she tried to steady herself, but the floor beneath her felt as if it were trembling too. Her knees were bruised from the fall, but that was nothing compared to the ache in her chest.

When he had invited her here, she'd known, deep down, what the evening would bring. She hoped, wished-it wouldn't be like this. That perhaps this time, he'd surprise her. But there were no surprises.

"sweet," he whispered, his voice a slow, deliberate murmur, dripping with satisfaction. His gaze never wavered, cold amusement flickering as he looked down at her.

Tilt of the cup was almost languid, as if he had all the time in the world. Hot coffee spilled, splashing against her head.

The heat bloomed across her scalp, she froze between shock and pain yet she didn't move, she couldn't.

He watched her with a detached amusement, and as the coffee dripped down her face, down her neck, her tear-streaked eyes remained still. The heat seared her skin, but she swallowed it-she didn't dare make a sound. Her breath came in shallow, jagged bursts, each one against the suffocating knot in her throat.

His hand brushed her hair, a mockery of tenderness before forcing her face into the carpet with a sickening thud.

Her nose cracked beneath the impact, and the sting of the broken bone was immediate-sharp, overwhelming. She gasped for air, but all she tasted was the bitter tang of blood mingled with the coffee still dripping down her face.

Her chest rises and falls erratically. The pain was sharp and immediate, but the humiliation stung deeper.

She closed her eyes, letting the tears fall freely now.

The weight of memories still clung to her like a suffocating fog even in her dream, making her feel as though she will never able to pull herself together.

The infirmary was heavy with silence, broken only by the soft rustle of her shifting body.

She stirred in the chair again, her back stiff and aching of the hours she'd spent in the chair. Her day had been restless, shadowed by worry.

Her eyes fluttered open, heavy with sleep, she rubbed her face with one hand, trying to shake off the lingering fatigue, her eyes were drawn immediately to the bed.

A gasp, escaped her lips before she could stop it.

He was awake.

Her heart tightened painfully, torn between relief and something she couldn't name.

Words felt tangled now, too fragile to her own uncertainty that choked her voice.

His face seems pale and thin but it wasn't his appearance that unsettled her-it was the emptiness in his gaze, the chilling calm of his eyes, the absence of the familiarity that usually burned within them.

It was as if something had been extinguished leaving behind an empty shell.

He shifted slightly, just enough to let her know he was aware of her presence, just a glimpse, and the faintest flicker of recognition passed between them. It wasn't warm or welcome-it was acknowledgment, distant and cold, but enough to send a pang of discomfort twisted in her stomach, something fragile and delicate.

The suddenness of the moment startled her, and she felt her heart stutter painfully in her chest. Her fingers tightened reflexively around the edge of his gown, an instinctive gesture, she hadn't realized she'd made.

The fabric was thin, soft beneath her touch, but the weight of her own action felt unbearably heavy.

Surged by panic at what she had done, she yanked her hand away as if it had touched a searing flame "I-I didn't mean to..." she stammered, her voice breaking. Her hand hovered in the air for a moment, trembling, before she clenched it into a fist and tucked it against her side.