Page 6 of The Sins of Silas

“You will not break.”

How could she ask that of me? How could she believe it was even possible?

I am broken. I am nothing without her by my side.

I jolted when my door swung open. Turning with fearful eyes, I watched as my father shut my bedroom door behind him.

“You fucking child,” he seethed, charging toward me. “Crying over some peasants like a pathetic infant.” He gripped the collar of my shirt roughly, pulling me to my feet. “I was told how you acted today. You are anembarrassment.”

I glared at him with hatred, tears streaming down my face. “They weren’t just some peasants,” I spat.

He released my shirt, flinging me back. I stumbled but kept myself from falling.

“Be relieved it was someone from the Outer Ring and not someone of importance,” he said simply.

I was full of rage—so much rage.

How dare he.

How fucking dare he.

I didn’t think; I just acted. I reeled my arm back and swung my fist across his face.

It made a sickening sound, and pain shot through my knuckles on impact. As scared as I was for what was to come, it felt fucking good inflicting pain on him.

My father slowly curved his head back toward me, touching his now-busted lip, blood coating his fingertips. His malicious gaze met mine, and I watched as he pulled out a dagger.

His voice was dark as he growled, “That will be the last time you disrespect me.”

My limbs shook, and my eyes bulged as my father swung at me with his dagger. I dodged quickly, but he persisted. The King was a lot of things—terrible things—but a poor fighter was not one of them.

I managed to dodge his blows until his final swing was successful, and I hissed as the steel blade dragged from just above my lip and up my left cheek.

I grunted as I drew away, my fingertips skimming the blood now coursing down my face.

My father’s voice was clipped as he wiped his blade, tucking it back into his side. “See to it that you get stitches.” He clicked his tongue. “That’s going to leave a nasty scar.”

I glared at him, shaking with contempt as my blood dribbled onto the marble floor.

His black eyes scrutinized me with distaste, his lip curling. “Perhaps it shall serve as a reminder. Every time you see your imperfect flesh, I want you to remember just how much of a disappointment you really are.”

And with those final words, he left.

I loosened my exhale and gradually stepped to my vanity mirror, blinking at the split open skin, at the trail of red dripping under my chin and down my shirt. My father had slapped me, had punched me…but never had he cut me. The wound burned, I imagined, but no physical pain could outdo the mental.

I want you to remember how much of a disappointment you really are.

I had failed. I had failed my mother. I had failed Minerva. I had failed Lena.

I really was a disappointment, wasn’t I?

Chapter Two

LENA - NOW

“Lena,” a woman spoke in my head, and I fell to my knees at the sound of Kayin’s voice.“We have work to do.”

My heart was thumping with intensity. I gripped the blades of grass beneath my fingers as if somehow it would help ground me in this moment.

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