HAZEL

I bounce on my seat, the car driving under a rocky road, kicking up pebbles that scratch the metal. I dig my fingers into the leather, unnerved by the mentions. I've never ridden in a car before. Or maybe I did years ago, when I was a child. I don't know. The estate is my entire life.

I stare out the tinted windows, and people stare back. The townspeople are surprised by the sleek black cars that ride past them. My driver rides like hell, eyes set on the estate in the horizon. He doesn't glance at me through the mirror even once.

I bite my lip to keep myself from begging him to turn the car around and return to Ronan. I must trust him and whatever mission he set out on. He told me he would return, and Ronan's word is worth gold.

I lose track of time, lost in my thoughts and feelings. When the car stills and the sound of crushed gravel finally stops, I look up and find the giant gates of the estate. Slowly opening, revealing my home.

I keep my head down as I exit the vehicle, ashamed that the guards know how I got kidnapped. How I got all of us in this situation.

How stupid of me. How greedy. I can't consider myself a victim since it was my dangerous fantasy that got Ronan shot and me taken.

"This way, mistress. We must secure the gate," a guard says. I don't dare meet his eyes.

I limp slowly, my injured feet aching with every step. I have a long way to go but I must endure and prepare for Ronan's arrival. He will need food and medicine. I know he has been pushing himself to his limits, fueled only by vengeance.

I can sense eyes on me. Curious servants and maids glancing at me through the estate windows, murmuring rumors. My face heats with embarrassment, but this is a price I must pay for my sinful lust. I don't think I'll ever be able to let loose with Ronan in the bedroom again.

"We can retrieve a wheelchair for you, mistress."

"That won't be necessary," I reply as I struggle marching. "Thank you."

As soon as I enter the estate, the warm, glowing lights make my shoulders relax. It feels like I'm finally safe, wrapped in familiar surroundings.

The sound of racing footsteps grabs my attention, because running in these halls is forbidden. Who would dare to—

"Hazel," Gwen rasps as she jumps out of the corner. Her eyes are teary as she says, "it's your mom. She was thrown in a cell."

"What?" I ask, taking a quick step forward her, my foot aching. "Why? How?!"

"She heard you were taken and tried to leave the estate to search for you. The guards stopped her but she was ordered to be incarcerated for stepping outside. They say she has to await trial for banishment."

My blood catches fire. "And who made such an order?!"

"Me," a woman answers.

I look left. It's Dakota. Of course it fucking is. She has hated me before I even stepped into Ronan's life.

I walk toward the grand staircase, spiraling down to one of the most forbidden areas of the estate. The cells. I've never been here before, but nothing will keep me from my mother.

Gwen runs after me, muttering warnings about my injured feet.

The guard standing by the steel door looks confused to see me, and then concerned.

"Open the door," I order with a conviction that shocks me.

He blinks a few times before opening the door, his hands trembling as if Ronan himself is glowering at him.

I step inside. The air is stiff. There are no windows and dim lighting.

"Mom? Mom!"

I hear shifting in the first cell, and I kneel by the bars.

"Oh, baby." My mom reaches out, her eyes red and lips cracked. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have scorned you for jumping the wall. I should have accepted it. You were always a free spirit. Forgive me."

"Why are you so pale? Why are your lips dry? Why does your voice—" I look around her cell, but see no food or water.

"Where's your water?"

She licks her lips. "Dakota wouldn't..." she sighs. "That girl is angry at the world."

That bitch. She thinks we're on the same playing level than before and tried to pull this gimmick, but I've got another thing coming for her.

"How long have you been here? How long have you been starving?"

"Just two days, honey. I'm fine. What's wrong with your feet?" She looks tired. Like she aged five years overnight. This won't do.

I rise and return to the door, ordering the guard to open her cell. "And one more thing," I grit as I watch him fumble the keys. "Drag Dakota into this exact cell and leave her until I return. Give her no food or water no matter how much she begs."

"Hazel!" My mother gasps. "No, this isn't you! You can't torture the girl."

Can't I?

Dakota chose the wrong day to fuck around and find out. I'm exhausted and overheated. I'm angry that Ronan got hurt and we were nearly separated forever. I'm not finding much kindness in my heart for Dakota who hurt my mother whose only crime was worrying about her daughter.

"Get her," I repeat to the guard as Gwen helps me lead my mom out of her cell. "And toss her into this exact cell. I don't care if she kicks and screams until her perfect dress rips and her nails break."

"Yes, mistress."

My mother makes a sound of distress before coughing.

"I need to get you food and water, mom. Need to get you healthy so you can continue scolding me for reading under dim lights and other silly things." I sniffle, my heart breaking for her. How she must have suffered in here.

"It's true that I broke the law and stepped outside. It's best to leave me here until the Lord decides what to do with me."

"The solution is simple. If he banishes you then I'm going right after you! So don't worry about the law and let me take care of you."

I see another figure in a distant cell but don't care to look into it. I need to get my mother out of here.

Gwen helps me guide her upstairs, and Dakota's distant screeches echo down the hall. She doesn't seem to enjoy the taste of her own medicine.

"Do you know who I am?" She yells.

She can be anyone, but she won't be above me. That's the answer.

I ask Gwen to fetch mom food and water, thanking her for her help.

As I lead mom onto her bed, I hear a knock at the door.

"Mistress, it's Janice. I'm here about Dakota."

"There's nothing to discuss," I speak through the door. "My decision has been made."

I'm not sure how Ronan will react to my stake of power. A part of me is uncomfortable, but my gut tells me this is the right thing to do. Justice. Ronan will be home soon. Dakota will only have to suffer a few hours of humiliation before he decides what to do with her. Until then, I'll enjoy her faint screams.