Chapter 53 Kiss Of The Cage

• (POV: Isabela)
• Heavy silence filled the room where I stood. Not because of dust, but from words that stuck like glue - Rena’s calm voice shaping false stories while mine stayed trapped. Each question I asked got bent into something else entirely. My concern became a weapon aimed at myself. That look on her face turned my thoughts into tangled strings, clumsy fingers fumbling with rules I never learned. “Let the men handle it,” came her voice again. A tiny grin slipped through, sharp enough to cut. Suddenly air felt heavier, walls tighter, company thinner than before. Morning light will bring guests, vows, noise - too late after that. When sun rises, everything gets nailed down.
• A tight knot sat in my chest, part dread, part simmering irritation. Staying shut inside those walls became impossible after a while. Movement called - anything to escape the thick scent of her perfume, the weight of things left unsaid. My feet carried me down hushed corridors, no destination in mind. This sprawling home in Miami held its breath around me. Figures in dark clothes kept pace just behind, never speaking, always near.