Chapter 4: Her Fate
Ariana’s eyes widened in shock as her chest began to hurt. It felt like she had been shoved underwater—her head plunged into the sea—gasping for air, only for water to replace it instead. Her hands instinctively moved to her chest.
Ava stood at last, muttering something under her breath before walking away. She didn’t even glance at Ariana’s face. The once naive-looking girl was gone within seconds.
Ariana slowly moved, pushing the plate aside and pressing her head against the table as she clutched her chest, which felt like it had been squeezed repeatedly. She tried her best to calm her racing mind. The shock—and the insult—had hit harder than she expected. She couldn’t believe her sister had actually said those words to her.
She hadn’t expected them at all. Maybe it hurt more because it had to do with the stranger. Maybe that was why. This wasn’t the first time she’d been insulted because of her muteness. Not that those didn’t hurt—they did—but she had always managed to hide the pain. This, however, had hit deeper than she thought possible.
She rose to her feet slowly, her body trembling slightly. She was not going to cry. If her sister wanted to use this against her, she wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of a single tear.
She also needed to forget about that stranger—but how could she, when her daily reminder was just a few inches away?
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*
Hours had passed, and Ariana stood quietly in the room clad in a baggy silk Nightgown, carefully double-drying her hair to avoid catching a cold during the night.
She walked over to the bed, picking up the neatly folded royal blue gown. She carried it to the wardrobe and gently placed it on top. She didn’t have the energy to inspect it tonight—there would be time for that in the morning, when she’d try it on.