Locked Away…

AMber's Pov.

The only sound I ever heard in my room was the steady tick of the clock—it was always there, constant, familiar. But this time… it wasn’t the only sound I heard that morning.

I heard my sister shouting again. Her voice echoed down the hallway from the sitting room while I sat on the cold floor of my room, the door locked from the outside.

“Father! You can't expect me to marry your friend just because you need his money and expect something from him!" Skyla’s voice cracked with fury.

I didn’t move. I just stared at the corner of the wall like always. Like I wasn’t supposed to feel anything. I eat when they tell me to. I talk when I’m spoken to. I walk when I’m pushed. I’ve become a shadow in this house… like I don’t exist. Like I’m nothing.

“I won’t do it!” Skyla’s voice rose again. “Did you even hear yourself? He’s blind, Father! He can’t even see!”

There was Silence.

Then, Father’s voice came, calm but with that twisted tone he used when he wanted obedience. “If you still want to live in this house and enjoy this life, you’ll think about it. Accept the marriage… or we all go down.”

“And why not Amber?” Skyla barked. “At least your friend won’t know! He doesn’t even know what I look like!”

I swallowed hard. Of course, I knew where this was going.

“But he asked for my youngest daughter. Not your older sister,” Father replied, like it was the most reasonable thing in the world.

Skyla cut him off before he could continue. “He wouldn’t know unless someone tells him. He’s blind, remember? He can’t tell which of us is older. Send Amber. She’s useless anyway. What does she even do in this house?! She’s just a waste of space!”

My fingers curled against the floor. I didn’t cry. I didn’t flinch. I’d heard worse.

Then came the sound I feared most. Father’s growl. The thud of his chair scraping back. Footsteps. Sharp. Heavy. Angry.

And then—

“Bring Amber. Now.”

I closed my eyes.

The guards didn’t knock. They never did. They slammed the door open like I was some wild animal they had to cage. One of them grabbed my arm. The other grabbed my waist.

“Move,” one snapped.

I didn’t struggle. I didn’t speak. I let them drag me. Like always.

I'm Amber Sedwood. The first daughter. The one nobody cared about. The one everyone pretended didn’t exist unless they needed someone to blame. Or throw away.

My father used to be someone. He had power. Money. A name that meant something in the underground. But his greed swallowed it all. He lost everything except this house—and now he was selling his daughter to buy his pride back.

Not Skyla, of course. She was the perfect one. The beautiful one. The youngest.

Me?

I was just the first mistake.

And now they wanted to throw me to a blind man like I was nothing. Like I didn’t matter because he wouldn’t even see the face of the woman they tricked him into marrying.

I stared at the staircase as they dragged me down it. My heart thudded once… then quieted again.

I wasn’t scared.

I was used to it.

The guards threw me to the ground like I was nothing.

My body slammed into the cold, hard tiles of the sitting room. The pain shot up my ribs so fast I couldn’t breathe. I curled into myself, gasping. Tears burned down my face without permission.

Then came the footsteps. Slow. Calculated. My father crouched next to me like a man trying to comfort a wounded dog.

“Amber,” he said, his voice sickeningly calm. His fingers lifted my chin, too gentle to be real. “You’re going to be married soon… to one of my closest friends.”

I looked him dead in the eye. I spat at the floor.

“Never.”

His expression didn’t change—but his hand did.

It struck my face so fast, I saw black for a second. My head snapped sideways. My body followed, collapsing to the floor from the force. My cheek stung and my ears rang.

“How dare you, Amber?” he roared above me. “How dare you disobey me?!”

I pushed myself up slowly, shaking. My hand trembled as I wiped the blood from my lip.

“I won’t marry someone I don’t even know,” I said, voice cracking. “I’m not a pawn. I won’t let you use me just because you lost everything.”

His face twisted with rage. “Don’t you dare call me your father. You’ve been nothing but a curse since the day you were born! A disgrace. A destroyer. A murderer!”

His words hit harder than the slap.

“And I—” he snarled, pointing at his own chest, “—I’ve been covering your shame for years. Years! And now, the only thing you can do to repay all the good I’ve done for you is marry the man I’ve chosen. That’s the price. End of story.”

I was shaking. Not from fear. From rage.

“How can you stand there and tell me to marry someone old enough to be my father? Someone who can’t even see me?!”

I stood up. My knees wobbled, but I didn’t care. I pointed straight at her—Skyla—leaning on the wall like a queen with her arms folded, chewing her gum like this was a joke.

“And stop calling me a murderer,” I snapped, breathing hard. “Mum is in a coma because of her!”

Skyla’s smile dropped.

“She’s the reason. You know it. We all do. But you’ll never say it out loud because she’s your favorite.”

Skyla hissed. “You’re crazy. You’ve always been crazy. You should be locked in a cage.”

“Enough!” Father roared, stepping between us. “This wedding will happen. I don’t care if I have to tie your hands and drag you to the altar myself. You’ll marry him. And you’ll smile while doing it.”

I laughed bitterly, wiping my face.

“Then you better prepare to drag a corpse, Father. Because the day I marry that man… is the day I stop being your daughter.”

And for a second—I swear—I saw something flicker in his eyes.

Fear.

Real fear.

But just as fast, it was gone.

He turned and snapped to the guards. “Take her back. And lock her tighter this time. No food. No light. Let her understand what defiance costs in this house.”

As they dragged me away, Skyla leaned closer, her breath hot in my ear.

“Enjoy your cell, big sis. You should’ve stayed quiet like the failure you are.”

I didn’t respond.

But I looked her dead in the eyes and thought—One day, you’ll pay for everything.

Every single thing.

~~~~~~~~~

I lay on the cold floor, curled up in the corner like a piece of trash.

The room was almost empty—no bed, no blanket, just concrete and silence. My arms hugged my knees tightly to my chest. I could barely feel my fingers anymore. My cheek still stung from Father’s slap. I hadn’t eaten since yesterday.

Then I heard it.

A soft metallic click at the door.

I sat up quickly, heart pounding. The key turned slowly in the lock. I held my breath.

No voices. Just footsteps.

Heavy. Purposeful.

The door opened but the hallway light didn’t pour in. Whoever was there didn’t speak. I couldn’t see their faces—the room stayed dark.

“Take her away.”

The voice made my blood run cold.

Skyla.

Before I could move, rough hands yanked me up by my arms. I cried out.

“Skyla?! What are you doing?” My voice cracked from dryness and fear. “Where are you taking me?!”

No answer.

“Skyla!” I screamed again, struggling. “What are you doing to me? Stop! Please!”

My feet barely touched the ground. They dragged me like I weighed nothing.

My chest heaved, breath sharp and quick. My heart beat so fast it hurt.

“Talk to me! Say something! Please—just tell me where you're taking me!” I begged.

Still nothing.

Skyla’s silence scared me more than her words ever could.

Because when she didn’t speak, it meant she was serious.

Really serious.

My knees buckled as they pulled me out of the room and into the darkness.

I didn’t know where I was going.

But I knew Skyla was finally doing what she always wanted.