Bed behind him 121_Bound by Lies, Trapped by Desire

Elena’s POV:

 “I don’t know she just started screaming in her sleep-“Shinichira sald, looking bewildered. He gestured towards Mille, who was stilbudded on the floor, her body trembling violently despite the nket wrapped around her. Her breaths were shallow and ragged, and I recognized the teltale signs of full blown panic attack.

 Timmediately knelt down beside her, my focus solely on Molle, 1 gently pulled her face up, so that our eyes could meet Hergere was hary and unfocused “Mielie,” I said softly, my voice calm and steady. “Match my breathing, okay? Just breathe with me.” I demonstrated slowly, exaggerating each inhale and exhale. “Breathe in slowly through your nose for a count of four… hold for one… breathe out slowly through your mouth for a count of six”

 Her hazy eyes, clouded with fear and residual sleep, slowly began to focus on mine. She nodded jerkily, her small body still trembling uncontrobly For the next couple of minutes, we focused solely on her breathing, Shinichire, looking increasingly concerned, brought a ss of water from the kitchen and knelt down beside her, offering it. Mielle took a tentative sip, her grip on the ss unsteady.

 Mielle spoke then, her voice a mere whisper,ced with embarrassment. “I’m… 5–sorry I must have startled you” Shinichiro frowned slightly, his initial apprehension slowly giving way to a more sympathetic expression.

 “it’s okay.” I reassured her gently, my hand resting on her back, rubbing small soothing circles. “How are you feeling now, Mielle? Did you have a nightmare?” She took a deep, shuddering breath, her eyes wolling up with fresh tears before she nodded, then shook her head.

 Instead of answering my questions directly, she spoke up, her voice cracking with a desperate urgency.“… want to go back. Back to Velhaven, Can you… drop me at the bus station? Please, Elena?” she asked, her gaze pleading, and frowned, my heart sinking at the thought of sending her off alone in this state.

 “What do you n on doing, Mielle Lasked, my brow furrowed with concern. I couldn’t possibly send her off on a long bus journey like this, not when she looked like she was on the verge of ainting

 “L..I’m going to go find him. I’ll have him sign the consent form, and then… and then i can get an abortion,” she said, her voice gaining a fragile resolve, but my fists clenched involuntarily as I nced sideways at Shinichiro, who was leaning against the kitchen counter with crossed arms, his expression a mixture of curiosity and disapproval.

 “Micle…we don’t even know for sure yet if Dmitri is the father,” I said softly.

 She shook her head vehemently, her eyes filled with a painful certainty. “He… he is, Elena. I just… I think he is. I feel it Her words wereced with a quiet despair, and I felt my heart clenchin sympathy.

 “Either way… how are you nning to get to him, Melle? Do you even know where he lives?” Lasked, the practicalities of her n suddenly hitting me. Her hands, which had been sped tightly in herp, went still, as if my question had frozen her mid thought. She turned to look at me, her eyes filled with a desperate, pleading hope.

 “You know?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper. I paused, my mind racing, “What?”

 You know where he lives, don’t you, Elena?” She moved forward slightly, reaching out to grab my hands again, her grip surprisingly strong in her desperation. “Please. Elena, please help me. You can tell me where he is. I can’t afford getting a <bwyer involved in all of this… my parents………my future. Everything will bepletely over if this happens. My mom had been against the even going to university in the first ce… she’s very conservative, She’ll say it’s all my fault, and she’ll end up marrying me off to some older man in my hometown—”.

 “Woah, woah, hold on a second, Mielle,” I interrupted gently, putting my hands over hers, trying to calm her rising panic. “Wh Your… mother? No, Nevermind. What about your father or your other family?” I asked, my brow furrowed with concern. She sh. filled with a bleak despair.

 ou talking about! 

 head, her eyes

 “My father isn’t here anymore… he passed away a few years ago. My brother… he’s already crippled. My mother… she has always told me that I would be the future breadwinner of the house, the one who would lift our family out of poverty…” Her voice trailed off, thick with unished tears.

 1 frowned. “Breadwinni? But wouldn’t you need to eam money for that? Why would she just… marry you off?” I asked, the situation sounding archaic and utterly unfair. This wasn’t some historical medieval drama.

 She shook her head sadly. “She doesn’t care about that. Elena, if I don’t end up earning enough money with my degree and my job, she’ll just marry me off to one of the older, richer men back home. They would easily be able to provide for our family financially” She said, and I took in a deep, shudderi breath

 *Please, Elena Please. You’re the only one who can help me,” she pleaded, her hands tightening their grip on mine, her eyes filled with a desperate hope. I bit my lip, a surge of anger rising within me. How could parents do such a thing to their own child? But then, my heart clenched with a painful understanding as I remembered the stories Niki had shared about the emotional and physical abuse he had endured at the hands of his own parents The world could be a crueler ce than most people cared to admit.

 I couldn’t directly help Niki with his past trauma. But Mielle? I would help her. I wouldn’t let her go through this alone, not if i could possibly prevent it And if what she said was true, if Dmitri and his friends had truly taken advantage of her, had raped her… then I wouldn’t just sit back and do nothing couldn’t. Not when he could be out there harming other people, continuing his pattern of abuse.

 “You need a ride? I can take you to the metro station, Shinichiro offered, his gaze shiting to Mielle, then back to me it will be the fastest way to get to Velhaven from here. It might be morning by the time you arrive if you take the bus.” He said, and looked at him, a flicker of gratitude warming me despite the seriousness of the situation

 “You can drive?” Lasked, a surprised lift in my voice. He was only fourteen after all. He nodded. “Yeah. You don’t have to worry… as long as you keep this between us, okay? Haruki won’t know, would he?” He said, looking at me skeptically, and I pursed my lips. “I won’t tell him, Shinichiro. I promise. Thank you so much for offering, that’s really kind of you.“I paused, then added with a gentle but firm tone, “However, I think it would probably be best if I just called for a ride. It’ste, and I wouldn’t want to trouble you or worry your brother if we got held up.” 

 I left out the fact that it would be highly irresponsible of me to ask a fourteen year old to dive for me.

 Shinichiro’s shoulders slumped slightly, a hint of disappointment shing across his face, but he nodded in understanding “Alright. You take care then.”

 “And Shinichiro, thank you again for offering. And please, could you just keep everything that happened today between us?” He met my gaze and nodded firmly. “Yeah. Don’t worry, I won’t say anything.” He said. With that settled, I pulled out my phone and quickly requested a ride.

 As we waited, I helped Mielle get ready. When the notification for our ride arrived, I helped Mielle to her feet. “Ready?” Lasked softly, and she nodded, her hand gripping mine tightly. We bid Shinichiro goodbye, leaving him standing in the doorway, as we climbed into the waiting car

 le as we made our way

 I was d he was opening up, even if it was just out of pity, but I didn’t have time to dwell on it more. My focus was entirely on Melle to the ticket counter to purchase two speed rail tickets for the journey to Velhaven

 The train ride took almost an hour and a half. From the Velhaven metro station, we took a taxi directly to Omitri’s mansion. As soon as we arrived in front of the imposing gates and saw the numerous luxury cars parked haphazardly outside, an irritated frown creased my forehead.

 “It seems there’s a party going on,” I said, the thought of Dmitri surrounded by friends and oblivious to the turmail he had caused making my anger simmer. Mielle stepped out of the cab, her face pale.

 Her voice cracked, barely audible, as she grabbed my arms, her grip desperate. “What do we do now?” She looked terrified. I couldn’t help the determined tilt of my lips as a n, reckless and perhaps a little impulsive, began to form in my mind. “We crash the party, of course.”

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Bed behind him 121