Chapter 124. Silenced by Lies

Elizabeth’s POV

I couldn’t bring myself to speak, not even though every part of me ached to. There was no possible way Marku and Daniel could truly understand what I’d been through—or what I was hiding. I lay back on the cold tile floor, staring at the faint grid of cracks on the ceiling for another interminable minute, guilt twisting in my gut. I’d blocked Marku and Daniel again, cut them off from the truth. And I had no idea how to explain myself.

Daniel was here with me in the steamy bathroom, yet I refused to meet his gaze. He’d been ordered in by Marku the instant I’d finished sealing myself off, and both men had clearly been troubled by my reaction—though neither had spoken aloud about it. Inside, my conscience shrieked at me, but I felt completely out of place, wrapped only in shame.

Warm water dripped down my legs, coursing around my feet before vanishing into the drain. Daniel’s hand, both as gentle as silk and as firm as leather, moved over my skin, pains