I wake up heavy but not broken.
Pain lingers, but so does determination.
I force myself out of bed, push through my morning routine, and prepare for class. Today, I refuse to be a prisoner of their whispers.
I step outside. The guards don't stop me. No disapproving glances. No barriers.
Good.
I slide into my car, grip the wheel tightly, and drive out of the palace gates. Freedom.
But it doesn't feel like victory. Not yet.
I stop at a quiet restaurant. A place far from prying eyes, far from the palace's suffocating walls. The scent of fresh coffee and warm bread wraps around me. I sit by the window, order a decent meal, and force myself to eat.
Each bite feels like defiance.
They locked me up. Tried to starve me. But here I am. Eating. Living.
A small victory.
At the university, my classmates' eyes are filled with concern.
"Celeste, where have you been?"
"You disappeared for days."
"Are you okay?"
I smile faintly.
"I was sick." A lie. A simple, convenient lie.
They believe it. They don't need to know the truth.
I try to focus in class, but my mind drifts. I don't feel safe here.
Not in the palace.
Not in the world outside.
I sit there, surrounded by people, yet I feel utterly alone.
Like prey among wolves.
After class, I don't go straight home. I need to talk to someone.
I find a secluded spot, pull out my phone, and call my mother.
She picks up almost immediately. "Celeste?"
Her voice cracks. She's been waiting for this call.
"Mama…" My voice is steady, but my chest tightens. "It's bad."
I tell her everything. The false accusations, the confinement, the trial before the council.
She listens silently. Then she breaks.
She cries.
"My child… my baby… they are hurting you. Come back home please."
Her pain slices through me, but I stay firm. I can't afford to break.
"Mama, I will come home. But not yet."
"Celeste, please…"
"Once the investigation is over, I will leave." I swallow hard. "I just need to see this through."
Silence. Then, a heavy sigh. "Promise me, Celeste."
I close my eyes. "I promise."
For now, I must survive.
I return to the palace drained, empty.
I lock my door, shut out the world, and collapse onto my bed.
No food. No words. No one.
One day passes. Then another.
I drag myself out again. Back to class. But my mind isn't here. I can't focus.
Something gnaws at me, whispering that I'm running out of time.
Then I think of Madam Jessy.
The woman whose kindness changed my life.
The only person who never asked for anything in return.
I grab my phone, dial her number. She picks up almost instantly.
"Celeste?"
"I need to see you."
A pause. Then, "Come."
In Madam Jessy's house, I step inside, and she's waiting.
Her expression isn't one of shock. She already knows.
I barely finish my story before she sighs, shaking her head. "I expected this."
I frown. "You did?"
She gives me a look, as if I'm still naïve to how deep the rottenness of power runs.
"Celeste, you think the queen and Liliana will stop? No, my dear. They will chase you until you have no escape."
My chest tightens. "So what do I do?"
She leans forward, eyes sharp. "You act. Now. Fast. Before they destroy you."
My fingers tighten around my coffee cup. "How?"
She smiles knowingly. "I know all about Liliana."
I blink. "What?"
She sips her tea, then sets it down. "Let me tell you her story."
I sit there, gripping my cup, as Madam Jessy starts talking.
And what she says shatters everything I thought I knew.
***
For the first time in weeks, I feel a shift in the air.
Not freedom, not yet. But something close.
Hope.
Madam Jessy's words, her plans, the phone calls we made together; everything loops in my mind.
The weight pressing on my chest isn't so suffocating anymore. I will be exonerated.
I lie back on my bed, staring at the ceiling.
I picture it; the day of reckoning.
The moment their ugly, twisted faces crumble under the weight of the truth.
The day I make them regret ever trying to break me.
A slow smile tugs at my lips.
Let them enjoy their false victory.
Their time is running out.
I set my alarm. Tomorrow is another day, one step closer.
I close my eyes, letting sleep take me, knowing that when I wake up…
I'll be ready.