THIRD PERSON'S POINT OF VIEW
"U-ugh." Aello's groan was soft enough to get lost in the mansion's quiet as she pushed herself up from her bed. Pain throbbed along her side, a steady pulse from days of blows that had left her skin mottled and tender.
She pressed her palm to her ribs, feeling the familiar swell of bruises beneath the thin fabric of her dress. For weeks now, the maids had been on her-slapping her arms, driving fists into her back, kicking at her legs whenever they thought no one was watching. Most days they let her go hungry, working her from dawn until dark before leaving her to an empty plate.
Things had worsened when the maid from the hospital returned. The woman's rage had boiled over so fast she'd smashed a clay pot across Aello's head, leaving a deep cut she hid by letting her hair fall forward, curtaining her face.
