Chapter 187 You deserve to rot, Sterlings

Aurora's POV The cell's darkness was a comfort, a heavy cloak that allowed me to retreat into the fractured landscape of my mind. Every muscle ached, every bone felt bruised, and my throat was raw, dry, and tasted of old blood. Hunger gnawed at my stomach, a dull, constant throb that occasionally flared into sharp, dizzying pangs. Sleep offered no escape; it was a fragmented affair, haunted by the Sterlings' faces, by Max's desperate pleas and Leo's cold, analytical gaze. But even in this abyss, a tiny spark of defiance flickered, refusing to be extinguished. Three times a day, sometimes more, the heavy steel door would groan open, letting in a sliver of harsh light that seared my eyes. Two hulking guards, their faces impassive, would enter. They never spoke. They just pulled me, sometimes gently, sometimes roughly, from the cold stone floor, their hands like iron clamps around my arms. Each movement was agony, a fresh wave of pain rippling through my body. The short walk down the corr