Chapter 88: Chapter 88 Her Silence Becomes Deafening
Phoebe’s POV
"I’ve never lied to you." I shut my eyes tight as the agony in my belly became unbearable. Each breath felt like a struggle.
Cold sweat beaded across my forehead, but I clenched my teeth to stay silent, even as my voice shook when I spoke.
"Reginald tried to force himself on me. I wasn’t lying when I told you, but you refused to believe me. You took his side. You didn’t just fail to protect me—you sided with my attacker."
"Reginald would never do such a thing." Cameron remained stubborn in his conviction.
"You keep saying that because it’s what you want to believe, but have you ever considered, even once, that my story might be true?"
The pain made my head spin, leaving me dizzy and careless with my words. Everything just spilled out without thought.
All the hurt I’d buried for so long. The things I’d never said aloud because I’d been silenced, because nobody believed me.
And since I didn’t expect any mercy from my father, the words flowed freely. The fear that usually kept me quiet wasn’t there, and for once I didn’t cower before him like I always had.
"My only crime was being born female. If I were a boy, if I were your son, you’d have defended me against the world." I let out a bitter laugh. "It would’ve been nice to have you in my corner."
Cameron stayed silent, and I didn’t care if he was listening. That wasn’t the point anymore.
The cramping in my abdomen worsened, making my ears ring with pain. I gasped, though to Cameron it probably sounded like I was shivering from the cold. The cell was freezing, the temperature plummeting after dark.
"How do you excuse what Kevin did to me?
You knew how wrong it was when he forced himself on me, but you stayed quiet even while he harassed me for an entire year. You pretended I didn’t exist. Did ignoring me make it easier?"
I sucked in a sharp breath, curling tighter into myself, but kept going.
"You claim Reginald would never touch me inappropriately, yet you let Kevin abuse me openly. He didn’t even try to hide it, and you did nothing. As my father, you should’ve protected me. How do you justify letting him do that?"
My breathing turned ragged. I dropped my head to rest on my knees, trying to breathe through the pain.
"Why do you despise me for something I never did? Why are you trying to destroy me? Why do you trust them over me? Aren’t I your daughter? Your own blood?"
My voice faded as the pain numbed everything and my awareness started slipping away.
"If Kevin could do what he did to me, why couldn’t Reginald? They were best friends. You said yourself that if not for Reginald’s wild behavior, he’d be the alpha’s gamma. But Kevin passed him over because of how reckless Reginald was. You know how promiscuous he is, yet you still believed him."
No response came. It felt like talking to stone.
When I finally went quiet as darkness pulled me under and freed me from the agony, only silence filled the frigid cell.
——
Cameron huddled on the far side of his cell, trying to block out everything Phoebe had just said to him.
Phoebe had gone completely still and quiet. Finally, Cameron called out to her, but got no response.
"Phoebe? Phoebe?"
Cameron dragged his battered body across to the bars separating their cells. He called again, growing worried when she didn’t answer.
Phoebe had drawn her knees up against her chest with her head resting on them, making her appear tiny. Her hair fell like a curtain around her face, blocking his view of her condition. The dim lighting made it even harder to see.
"Phoebe, are you asleep?" Cameron wanted to reach through and shake her. He couldn’t explain it, but dread was building inside him.
He’d thought he felt nothing for her anymore. He’d believed... he didn’t care about her.
But seeing her like this felt like a knife twisting in his gut. This was exactly why he’d avoided Phoebe and actively stayed away during that year she’d been made omega, while Kevin had basically used her as his plaything.
Of course Cameron knew how screwed up the situation was. He should’ve intervened to stop the young alpha, but he hadn’t.
And now he couldn’t come up with a single good reason why he hadn’t stopped Kevin.
Cameron had avoided Phoebe because he was ashamed of his own inaction. No matter what she’d done, she was still his daughter.
"Phoebe!" Cameron shouted. "Wake up!" What had the king done to her? He hadn’t noticed any visible injuries when she’d been brought in, but she definitely looked fragile. "Phoebe, can you hear me?! Phoebe!"
Cameron shook the bars violently, but they wouldn’t budge. Even if he could shift into his wolf form, he wouldn’t be able to break them down, much less in his human state.
"What’s happening!?" Timothy demanded.
