Elowen's POV

The brothers' furious outburst left me trembling, their harsh words echoing in my mind. The room fell into an uneasy silence, thick with tension. My heart pounded as I stood there, absorbing the impact of their anger. But amid my fear, a spark of defiance ignited within me.

I took a deep breath, my voice shaky but resolute. "Do you even realize what you're doing to me? How you're making me feel?" My words seemed to hang in the air, and I could see the confusion flicker in their eyes.

"Elowen," Lysander began, his voice softer now, but I cut him off.

"No, let me speak," I said, my voice gaining strength. "You've been treating me like I'm some possession, like you own me. You never gave me a chance to adjust or even understand what this relationship is supposed to be. You've confined me, controlled me, and expected me to just fall in line."

Zephyr's face contorted with a mix of guilt and frustration. "We didn't mean to—"

"But you did," I interrupted, my emotions bubbling to the surface. "You never bothered to get to know me, to understand my fears and insecurities. You just assumed I would accept everything because it's what you wanted."

Their eyes were fixed on me now, a mixture of guilt and realization dawning on their faces. "You want to know why I asked if I'm just a fling? It's because you've made me feel like I'm disposable, like I'm just here for your pleasure and nothing more."

Zander's usual calm demeanor was shattered, his voice trembling. "Elowen, that's not—"

"My stepmother and stepsister spent years making me feel worthless," I continued, ignoring his attempt to speak. "They treated me like I was nothing, and your actions have brought all those feelings back. You've mirrored my past traumas, intensified my pain."

I could see the guilt and regret in their eyes, but I didn't wait for their response. I turned and walked away, leaving them to grapple with the reality of what they had done.

My steps felt heavy, but I refused to stop. "Do you even know why I tried to run? Did any of you ever try to learn the reason behind it?" My voice wavered with the weight of my pain. "You inflicted so much pain on me, punishing me for trying to escape a situation I didn't understand, a situation I was terrified of."

Lysander's face turned pale, and I could see his hands clench into fists, but he stayed silent.

"You dragged me back, hurt me, and expected me to fall in line like some obedient pet," I continued, my voice breaking. "You never asked why I was afraid, why I felt the need to escape. You just assumed the worst and acted on it."

Tears welled up in my eyes, but I held them back. "I've never dated anyone before, never been in a relationship. I've spent my whole life avoiding men because I didn't know how to trust them, how to let anyone in. I don't know what a relationship looks like or what to expect."

The brothers looked stricken, their faces pale with guilt. "You were so quick to assume I wanted to be with someone else, to think the worst of me when I was just confused and scared. I gave myself to you, trusting you with my body and my heart, and woke up feeling lost and terrified because I had never done something like that before."

Zephyr's eyes filled with regret, his voice a whisper. "Elowen, we never knew—"

"Because you never asked!" I shouted, my voice breaking. "I needed reassurance, needed to know that what I did wasn't a mistake. But instead, you gave me the very opposite. You made me feel used and discarded."

The room was silent, the weight of my words sinking in. "You never tried to understand me, to see things from my perspective. You've treated me like a prisoner, and I can't keep living like this."

Zephyr's eyes were wide, filled with a mixture of horror and remorse. "Elowen, we—"

"Save it," I snapped, cutting him off. "I'm done listening to excuses. I need to think about what I want, and if you truly care about me, you'll let me do that without trying to control every aspect of my life."

I turned and walked away, leaving them to grapple with the reality of what they had done.

I found myself in the solitude of my room, the weight of my words crashing down on me. The silence was deafening, and I felt the loneliness seep into my bones. I sank to the floor, my back against the cold, hard wall, and let the tears fall freely.

Sobs wracked my body as I hugged my knees to my chest, the pain of their betrayal cutting deep. I felt so small, so insignificant. The memories of my stepmother and stepsister's cruel words echoed in my mind, their voices blending with the brothers' harsh accusations.

"You're worthless," they had said. "No one will ever love you."

I had tried so hard to be strong, to believe that I could find happiness, but now it all felt like a cruel joke. I had trusted them, let them into my heart, and they had shattered it without a second thought. The realization that I was alone, truly alone, was unbearable.

My sobs grew louder, the anguish pouring out of me in waves. I cried for the little girl who had been told she was nothing, for the young woman who had dared to hope for more, and for the broken soul who now felt like she had no one in the world.

I cried until I had no tears left, my body exhausted and my heart heavy with sorrow. The room was dark, the night pressing in around me, and I felt like I was drowning in my pain. There was no one to hold me, no one to comfort me. I was alone.

As the minutes ticked by, my sobs turned to quiet whimpers, and I lay down on the cold floor, too drained to move. The emptiness inside me felt like a void, consuming everything in its path. I had never felt so lost, so utterly defeated.

In the darkness, I whispered to myself, "I'm not worthless. I deserve to be loved." But the words felt hollow, the conviction behind them weak. I wanted to believe it, but in that moment, it was impossible to see any light in the darkness.

I closed my eyes, letting the exhaustion pull me into a fitful sleep. My heart ached with a pain that seemed endless, and as I drifted off, I clung to the faint hope that maybe, someday, I would find a way to heal. But for now, all I could do was endure the pain and hope that I would survive it.