Replacement…

Amber's POV.

"Drop her there!" Skylar’s voice cut through the silence like a knife.

The guards didn’t hesitate. They dragged me to the far corner of the SedWood compound like I was some stray animal. The ground was hard—dirt mixed with gravel. Cold. Merciless.

“Chain her hands separate,” Skylar snapped, stepping forward like she enjoyed the moment. “Let her feel the weight of disobedience. Let her feel what it means to go against Father.”

I screamed as the cuffs clamped around my wrists, pulled wide apart and locked to iron hooks in the wall. My shoulders burned from the stretch. My muscles trembled.

“Skylar… you're my sister,” I cried. “Why are you doing this? What have I done to deserve this?”

My knees gave out, and I collapsed. I barely had time to breathe before she walked up and kicked my legs out completely. I fell hard onto my knees. The skin tore. I felt blood warm against my shin.

“Good,” she whispered, smiling like a snake. “That’s how you should be—on your knees. Right there. Until you agree to marry who Dad picked out for you.”

I looked up at her, my vision blurry from tears. “You’re the one who’s supposed to marry him… not me,” I choked out. “Please… please, Skylar. Why are you doing this?”

She crouched in front of me, her eyes glinting like she was enjoying every second.

“This pain is too much,” I whispered, my head hanging. “Please, let me go. I swear, Skylar, if you let me walk away right now, I’ll disappear. I’ll never come back. You won’t hear from me again. I swear it. I’ll be gone from this family. You’ll never smell my scent, hear my voice, nothing…”

She paused.

My heart stopped for a second.

Then she tilted her head and scoffed.

“That’s true,” she said slowly, like she was considering it.

For a second, I believed her.

Then her voice turned sharp.

“You will disappear—but only to your husband’s house.”

I froze.

She stood up straight, her voice now ice cold.

“Until you agree to marry him, you’ll stay right here like this. No food. No water. No one’s coming for you. You’ll rot here if you have to.”

Then she turned her back and walked away without looking at me.

The chains rattled as I struggled. My arms ached, my knees throbbed, and my chest burned with a mix of betrayal and hopelessness.

But what hurt the most… was that it was my own sister who did this.

I knelt there, staring at the door Skylar had walked through. She didn’t look back once.

Silence swallowed the compound. The lights from the house flicked off one by one, and soon, I was alone… completely.

My knees—bruised and scraped—throbbed with every second. The cold iron dug into my wrists so deep I could barely feel my hands anymore. I tilted my head back, resting it on the wall behind me. My body was shutting down. I was sure of it.

Then, it hit me—a cold drop of water straight to my scalp.

I blinked.

Another drop landed on my face… then another… and another.

I looked up. The sky had turned black.

Rain.

It started soft. Barely there. But soon, it came crashing down—fast and heavy like the heavens themselves were punishing me too.

The rain soaked through my thin clothes within seconds. My hair clung to my face. My skin stung where the metal chains pressed tighter from the weight of the water.

I pulled against them with what little strength I had left. The cuffs bit deeper into my skin. I winced, letting out a quiet whimper.

"Help..." My voice was barely audible, lost under the roar of the storm.

"Someone..." I cried again, weaker this time.

My eyes stung. I didn’t know if it was the rain or my tears—or both.

Then everything started to blur.

I blinked, but nothing got clearer.

The world tilted. My vision spun. My body leaned forward but the chains held me up… just barely.

Then—darkness.

I collapsed. My head fell forward, my chin hitting my chest. I was still on my knees, hands stretched wide and chained. But my body? It was gone. My mind too.

The rain didn’t stop.

It just kept pouring.

And I stayed there—silent, soaked, and broken.

***********

My eyes opened slowly. For a second, I thought I had died last night. The cold... the rain... the chains... everything.

But no. I was alive.

I was lying flat on the floor. It was tiled. Cold. Wet. My body ached. My arms were tied behind me this time, tighter than before. I couldn’t move much. And my face—it was covered. A thick fabric over my eyes. I couldn’t see anything. Just darkness.

But I could hear footsteps. Pacing. Slow. Sharp. Someone was in the room with me.

My breath caught. I sat up too fast, almost falling back.

“Who’s there…?” My voice came out shaky.

“Please… who’s there? Please answer me—someone—”

Before I could finish, a sharp pain shot through my stomach. A kick. I screamed out loud.

“Shut the fuck up! And be quiet!” a deep voice snapped.

I froze. That voice... I knew it.

“F-Father...?” I stammered, breath trembling. “Please... where am I? I can’t see anything. Take this off—please—what are you going to do to me?”

I was crying. The tears soaked into the cloth covering my face. It clung to my skin.

That’s when his hand grabbed my neck.

Tight.

Too tight.

I gasped. Choked. My whole body stiffened.

“Be quiet, girl,” he growled near my ear. “If you ruin this deal for me, I swear—your life won’t just be painful—it’ll be hell.”

He didn’t let go.

I whimpered. My throat burned under his grip. My body trembled as I tried to nod.

Then he leaned in even closer.

“You’re the youngest daughter now. Do you understand?” he hissed. “You’re Skylar from now on. You’ll take her place. You’ll marry the man. You’ll smile and nod and do everything I say—because you owe me, Amber. I’ve kept your secret. I’ve protected you. Now you pay me back.”

My stomach twisted.

“No...” I whispered.

He yanked my head up by my neck.

“What did you say?” he barked.

“I—”

“Enough!” another voice thundered. Loud. Deep. Cold.

It came from the side. Heavy boots clicked against the floor.

Whoever it was... he wasn’t my father. He wasn’t pacing. He was standing still.

My father’s hand dropped from my neck.

There was Silence.

My breathing was loud now. Too loud.

I couldn’t see the man. But something about the silence told me he wasn’t someone to speak against.

Even my father shut up.

And that made it worse.

Much worse.

“Um… Boss Zeden,” my father said with a forced chuckle. I could hear the shift in his tone—fake confidence wrapped around pure fear.

He was trying to please him. I could hear it in the way he walked too—light steps, nervous pacing.

“I brought you my youngest daughter,” he said. “The one I promised you. This is her…”

He paused. Then added with a weird hesitation in his voice, “Please… you can come see— I mean, feel her.”

My skin crawled.

I felt sick.

The word “feel” made something inside me twist.

My hands strained behind my back. I wanted to run. But I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even see. I kept shaking my head, as if the blindfold would come off if I just tried hard enough. But it didn’t. I saw nothing. Only black.

And then I heard it.

Footsteps.

Slow. Deliberate. Heavy.

And with them came another sound.

A stick. Tapping on the tiled floor with every step.

He was coming closer.

He didn’t say a word.

But he didn’t have to.

I already knew.

It was him.

The blind old man. My father’s so-called “friend.” The one he wanted me to marry.

The one I had only heard of in hushed conversations behind closed doors.

My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears. I backed up instinctively, but my hands were still tied. I couldn’t go far. My bare heels scraped against the cold floor.

“Stay still,” my father snapped under his breath. “Don’t embarrass me.”

I flinched.

I wanted to scream. But I couldn’t. My throat was already sore from crying and begging.

Tap. Tap.

He was just a few steps away now.

I didn’t know what he looked like.

But the silence around him said more than his face ever could.

He stopped.

Right in front of me.

Then… the stick moved.

Slowly.

It touched my knee.

My whole body stiffened. I felt his hand reach out—slow, calculated, as if he was used to doing this in the dark. As if he didn’t need eyes to know exactly where I was.

His fingers brushed against my chin.

I jerked my head back.

He didn’t flinch.

But my father did.

“She’s just nervous, Boss. First time,” he said quickly.

I felt the man’s fingers crawl higher, toward the fabric covering my eyes. He touched it lightly—then tugged it down slowly, a little. But not entirely.

My eyes blinked fast against the sudden light.

And when they adjusted a little… I finally saw him.