THE DEVIL WEARS MY RING

io's

le

Not quiet. Just this... eerie, choking silence. The kind tha

ading. Pages open, eyes glazed over. My mind wasn't in the room

't here

ia

t in this rotten life and even

it had power over me. I didn't need to look out the window to know wh

rtain with her snake eyes. "He's here," she whisp

ed to

nts. God, I hadn't even had a drink today, but I wa

He had that clean, polite kind of face. Not too young, not too old

, voice steady, col

, fluttering around with wine glasses like we were throw

e said. "I represent

like I didn't know. Like I wasn't drowning

" His tone didn't change. Not a threat. Just the tr

pened it with shaking fingers. It wasn't long. Maybe three pages. But

f a mistake I

free. No interest. No more knocking at your door. In

. "Marry? Arian

e protected. Provided for. That's more th

lin

cruelly. Just..

f I sa

. Flat. "Then your debt comes

e table. A warning. Or pressure

who this man is,"

d to. You just

. No threats. No bribes. Just f

drink and lit a cigarette, blowing th

smiling like a cat

"This is madness.

at who disrespects me in my own house? Who sn

ed. "What did

hind your back. Kissing him. Probably more. What kind of

Couldn't. My s

d about her when we couldn't afford dinner last week. Or when I had to pawn

g at the empty gla

I have,"

And if you don't let her go, we're all de

n't r

knew the

iana two

ung to the doorframe lik

aybe

og!" she yelled, tears streaming down

I couldn't. I d

saw something in her ey

tr

ing, white

eet before they

Her room was too quiet. Greta pretended she didn't notice. Act

I no

damn s

one day,

ack. No words

like we were trash. I didn't even fight. I knew it was co

h broke somet

me bite my tong

, I couldn't feel my bac

through the walls every night. Funny. She used t

ing at the ceiling. Lettin

y. Whoever he was... at least he cared eno

wasn't

was

my da

d her f

er face in my dreams. And eve

hat's j

t's not

's wha

I ta

damn