Page 55 of Silent as Sin
The hall was quiet, lights low. My hand brushed the bathroom knob when a shape peeled out of the shadows.
Roxy.
Her smile was painted trouble, red against pale skin. “Well, look who finally crawled out from under her guard.”
My fingers tightened on the knob. I should’ve gone in, shut the door, locked her out. Instead, I froze.
She tilted her head, eyes dragging over me with practiced cruelty. “You really think you matter to him? Ashen’s charity case. The broken bird he strings along until she flies away.”
The words hit like barbed wire. I swallowed them down, silent.
Roxy stepped closer, her face twisted, her voice dipped in sugar and venom. “Didn’t tell you, did he? I’m pregnant with his baby.”
The floor fell out from under me.
Her grin widened at the crack in my face. “Oh, he didn’t. He’s happy about it, and everyone here knows. We’re just waiting for you to get strong enough before we make it official. Wouldn’t want to break the poor bird while she’s still healing.”
My chest seized, lungs refusing air. “No…” The word scraped raw.
“Yes.” Her laugh was a knife. “He’s been in my bed. And you? You’re just a warm-up until he gets tired of playing hero.”
Images tore through me, Ashen’s mouth on mine, his body wrapped around me, the way he’d said mine. They twisted,poisoned. If she was telling the truth, every promise had been a lie.
The glass bird burned in my pocket, suddenly heavy, mocking.
“Can’t even talk, can you?” Roxy smirked. “Pathetic. Did you really think a man like Ashen would stay satisfied with a strange woman like you? I mean you may be mute, but you’re not stupid.”
Her heels clicked loud as she walked away, the sound like a hammer in my skull.
I stumbled into the bathroom, gripping the sink hard enough to hurt. My reflection blurred with tears. My body shook, stomach heaving, breath scraping loud in the small space.
He knew.
The thought screamed. If he knew, then last night hadn’t been about me. It had been pity. A lie.
I ran.
Out of the bathroom, past Throttle’s voice calling my name, through the front doors. The storm hit me like a fist — cold rain slamming down, soaking me to the bone. My bare feet slapped wet dirt, hair plastering to my face, but I didn’t stop.
The rain drowned me, pounding so hard I couldn’t hear my own breath. Each drop felt like the truth Roxy had shoved in my chest, filling me up, breaking me apart.
I gave Ashen the only thing I had left.Myself. And now it felt stolen.
Destroyed.
“Wren!”
Throttle’s voice cut through the storm. Seconds later he was there, grabbing my arm, spinning me around. His hair was soaked, rain dripping down his face, eyes sharp with panic.
“What the hell are you doing?”
I tried to answer, but my throat closed. The sob ripped out instead, jagged and raw.
Throttle’s grip gentled, his voice dropping. “Hey. Whatever she said, don’t let her do this to you.” He didn’t have to name her. He knew.
I shook my head, the fight breaking out of me. My knees gave, but he caught me, steady as steel. “I’ve got you,” he muttered, hauling me against him.
I sagged into him, shaking too hard to hold myself up. His arm stayed locked around me, guiding me back inside.
