Locked in Silence

Stephen's beloved Phoebe fell into a coma.

To everyone, I became the villain—accused of harming her out of unrequited love for Stephen.

Mute, I had no way to defend myself before Stephen locked me away in the basement. He said I would only be freed when Phoebe woke up.

Broken and hopeless, I succumbed to fear and starvation, eventually developing amnesia. Day by day, my memories began to slip away.

Yet, Stephen, tears in his eyes, begged me not to forget him.

But all I wanted was to leave it all behind and keep moving forward.

Phoebe Dover, Stephen Linnell's beloved, lay in a coma.

As for me, a mute, I hadn't even been given the chance to defend myself before Stephen locked me away in his basement.

Fear and hunger consumed me, my spirit shattered. Over time, I developed amnesia. Each day, more of my memories slipped away, little by little.

Stephen sneered at me, accusing me of faking it, but I could barely remember who he was anymore.

…

The door to the basement creaked open, letting in a sliver of light.

I instinctively raised my hand to shield my eyes from the brightness that stung after so long in darkness.

"Well, Raelynn Swales, are you still refusing to admit your fault?" Stephen asked.

He stood in the doorway, silhouetted against the light behind him. His smirk was derisive, as though certain he wouldn't get the answer he wanted.

As my eyes adjusted, I slowly lowered my hand.

I opened my mouth, but it was useless—I was mute.

Stephen couldn't see my sign language in the dark, and I had no way to make him understand.

I had tried before—filling pages with explanations, pouring my innocence onto paper. But he tore them apart, never reading a word.

Again and again, he demanded to know why I hurt Phoebe. And again and again, I screamed silently in my heart that I didn't do it.

It didn't matter. He didn't care if I was guilty or innocent. All he wanted was to punish me in Phoebe's name.

When I didn't respond, Stephen hesitated before letting out a scoff. He slammed a food box down onto the floor with a thud.

"Until Phoebe wakes up, you'll stay here and atone for your sins, one day at a time," he said.

After he left, the lights in the basement flickered on.

The basement had all the essentials for survival, but the lights only stayed on for ten minutes each day.

In those ten minutes, I had to eat the only meal I'd get for the entire day. Once the light went out, everything I did had to be in darkness.

Stephen called it my punishment. He said Phoebe lived in darkness every day because of me, so why should I be allowed any light?

Even after Stephen left, I didn't touch the food, though hunger gnawed at my stomach.

Instead, I pulled out a thick stack of papers and began reading through