He said nothing, simply leaving the room without looking back, locking me inside as though I were a prisoner. My stomach twisted in knots, both from hunger and from fear. He had done this before, but this time felt different. It felt final, like there was no going back from this.
As the hours dragged on, I sat on the floor. My mind raced, trying to understand how it had all come to this.
Night fell, and with it, the last of my hope. The door creaked open, and I tensed, expecting Kaidon.
But it was Elara. She walked in, a smug smile playing on her lips as she approached me slowly.
"Luna," she said sweetly, her voice dripping with false concern. "Guess what this is?"
She raised her right hand, the light catching on a dazzling pearl ring sitting proudly on her finger. The very goddess pearl she had accused me of stealing.
