"…that's how it all happened."
I kept quiet, my eyes locked onto her trembling ones.
"I awoke in Big Brother's arms. He hadn't moved from his position since he'd brought me down there, said he was waiting… waiting for me to see what had become of my misery."
"It was horrific, what Big Brother did. It was perhaps the most violent thing I'd ever witnessed in my life, but at that moment, only gratitude and relief were what I could feel. For finally, truly, I knew I was safe, because with Big Brother and Valen there, nothing—not even heaven or hell—would ever hurt me again." She tried to act strong, but—
"And Father spared the Drakens." My voice was low, but she seemed to have felt the seething rage beneath it.
"He did it… for my sake. I hadn't wanted to leave the family for good with the stain of being an eternal sinner."
I held back the words threatening to escape my mouth.
