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hapter 17
**Maureen**
The first thing I learned about silence was that it could scream.
The room Stefan put me in was quiet—too quiet. No chains on the wall. No guards at the door. Just a wide bed, clean sheets, and a single window that let the morning light spill across the floor like it didn't know this place was meant to cage people.
I sat on the edge of the bed, my hands folded tightly in my lap.
This was different.
For weeks, my life had followed a cruel routine: obedience, punishment, reward. Pain, pleasure, confusion. I had learned when to speak, when to kneel, when to lower my eyes. I had learned Stefan's moods the way slaves learned weather—by instinct, not logic.
But this room didn't feel like a cell.
And that scared me more than iron bars ever did.
The door opened without warning.
Stefan walked in, dressed simply, no weapons on him. No guards behind him either. Just him.
My heart jumped, traitorous and fast.
"Stand up," he said.
