Third Person POV
Then, the small room swallowed the sound.
The silence that followed was heavy and suffocating. It settled into the corners of the room, thick enough to make breathing feel like a chore.
Sonita stood flat against the far wall, her shoulder blades dug into the rough wood as if she needed the solid structure to keep herself upright.
Her arms were locked tight across her chest, her fingers gripping her own elbows so hard that her knuckles showed white under the flickering firelight.
Across from her, Helen sat frozen on the mattress edge. Her spine was curved, her shoulders rounded inward, drawing herself into the smallest possible space.
Her grey eyes were wide, fixed entirely on the scuffed floorboards beneath her bare feet, refusing to look up.
Sonita did not move a muscle, but the air around her seemed to drop in temperature.
"You mated with him, didn't you?"
