Chapter18: Tangled Fates

Maya I stood outside their room, torn between entering and retreating to my own. Honestly, the impulse to escape was strong, to distance myself from both the room and its ominous occupants. But what choice did I have? It’d take them less than a little effort to drag me back here…and the consequences afterward would be far worse; resistance would be futile. They had twisted control over my life, effortlessly capable of shattering me and leaving me powerless. The absence of their scents hinted at their absence. With reluctance, I entered the room, tears still lingering on my face from my mother's cutting words. I couldn’t stop crying no matter how much I tried to tell myself that it was not worth shedding tears for a woman like her. I sank onto the bed, drawing my knees to my chest and burying my face in my arms, the first sob escaping me. How could she know everything and choose not to intervene? Instead, she urged me deeper into this abyss, advising me to become their slave just for a