<h4>Chapter 686: Forming An Escape n</h4>


    <strong>Evaline:</strong>


    The words slipped out before I could stop them.


    Something in my voice must have reached him, because he paused... actually paused.


    His gaze lifted to mine, studying me more closely this time. And for a brief moment, something unreadable flickered in his eyes.


    But it didn’tst.


    "I don’t have time for your games, Eva," he said tly.


    My heart pounded as I realized I couldn’t convince him. He was going to do it anyway.


    Of course he was.


    So I grasped at the only thing I could think of.


    "Wait," I said quickly. "At least... at least lock my hands in the front."


    He stilled.


    "My arms..." I continued, wincing slightly for effect though it wasn’t entirely fake. "They hurt. Please."


    For a second, I thought he would refuse. But then, he leaned closer until he was right in front of me.


    His hand came up, gripping my chin firmly, forcing me to look up at him. The touch burned, but I held myself back from pulling away because I didn’t want to anger him right now. Not when I wanted him to do things my way.


    "I’ll do it," he said slowly, actually shocking me as I didn’t really expect him to listen to any of my requests.


    Hope flickered inside me for a moment only to die the next as he added, "If you call me brother."


    The word hit me like poison. Every instinct inside me screamed to refuse, to spit in his face, to reject himpletely.


    But once again I forced myself to hold back. I reminded myself how even the smallest advantage mattered a lot right now.


    So I swallowed. Hard. And forced the word past my lips.


    "...Brother."


    It came out quiet, tainted with hesitation. And it was enough.


    Augh burst from him, sharp and amused. "Good girl," he said mockingly.


    I shut my eyes for a brief second. And then, before I could react, a sharp sting pierced my skin.


    My eyes flew open just in time to see him injecting the drug into my arm. I gasped softly as the cold liquid entered my bloodstream, spreading too quickly.


    "No..." I whispered, my body already beginning to betray me, once again making me realize just how strong this knockout drug was.


    The world tilted and then blurred.


    Damian’s face remained the only clear thing for a moment, his smirk still firmly in ce as he pulled the needle out.


    "You should rest," he said casually.


    My vision darkened at the edges. My limbs grew heavy and unresponsive.


    I tried to stay awake, tried to hold on, but it was slipping.


    Thest thing I felt was my head falling forward, my consciousness sinking into darkness.


    And then...


    Nothing.


    * * *


    Pain came first.


    It always did.


    A dull, pounding ache spread through my skull as consciousness dragged me back to the surface. My head throbbed like someone had taken a hammer to it, over and over again, until even the smallest movement sent sharp pulses of agony through me.


    I groaned softly. My lips were dry, my throat burned, and everything hurt.


    My body felt heavy - like it didn’t belong to me anymore. My limbs were sluggish, unresponsive at first, as if they had forgotten how to move. The cold seeped into my bones, wrapping around me like an unwee embrace, while the familiar scent of damp soil filled my senses.


    Darkness, cold, silence - the same three things that had greeted me every time I woke up in this ce.


    I swallowed thickly, my breathing uneven as I tried to gather my thoughts.


    How long had I been out this time? Minutes? Hours? Another day?


    At this point... I didn’t know anymore.


    A bitter realization settled in my chest - I didn’t even know how long I had been trapped here in total.


    A day... maybe two? Or more?


    Time had blurred into something meaningless. It were just endless cycles of pain, darkness, and forced unconsciousness.


    I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment, forcing myself to focus. And slowly, carefully, I shifted, trying to push myself up.


    This time... it was easier. And only then did I notice my hands were now bound in front of me.


    My eyes snapped open, my breath catching slightly as I looked down at my hands.


    For a moment, I just stared. Then a small, almost disbelieving breath left me.


    He actually did it. Damian had kept his word, and I took it as a small win.


    Carefully, I pushed myself into a sitting position. My muscles protested immediately, weak and trembling, but at least I wasn’t fighting against the unnatural angle of my shoulders anymore.


    Still, the moment the chains shifted, pain exploded across my skin.


    I sucked in a sharp breath as the silver burned. It was now a familiar raw, searing pain like my skin was being eaten away slowly every time it touched me.


    My fingers trembled as I lifted my hands closer to my face.


    My enhanced vision was still not working because of the drug, but I could see enough to witness just what a mess my wrists had be.


    Angry red burns circled them where the silver had been pressed against my skin for too long. Some spots looked worse - raw, almost blistered, like the metal had bitten deep into my flesh. Dark bruises spread beneath the burns, a sick mix of purple and blue.


    I swallowed hard.


    "Damn you..." I whispered under my breath.


    The chains weren’t just tight, they were secure. Damian hadn’t taken any chances.


    The locking mechanism was thick, reinforced - no visible weak points. Even if I had my full strength, breaking them wouldn’t have been easy.


    And in my current state?


    It felt impossible.


    I let my hands fall back into myp, my chest rising and falling unevenly as I tried to steady myself.


    The cold bit deeper. The silence stretched longer.


    My fingers curled slightly against the chains as my mind started to work. I needed a n to escape as soon as possible.


    I took a slow breath, forcing myself to focus past the pain, past the exhaustion. There had to be a way out.


    Maybe I couldn’t break the chains. Maybe I couldn’t overpower him. But I didn’t need to.


    I just needed one moment. One mistake. One opportunity.


    My jaw tightened slightly as determination settled in my chest, steady and unyielding.


    So I waited in that darkness, forming ideas on how I could make him lower his guard further down without raising his suspicion.


    I waited for the sound of footsteps that would mean Damian had returned.


    Because this time, I would be ready.