Chapter 8: A Spark in the Dark

Ella’s

Night fell, and the guards herded us back to our rooms like cattle. My whole body throbbed with pain. Every step reminded me of the whips that had cut into my back earlier.

I kept my head lowered, not daring to meet the eyes of the other slaves. Their pity felt like another kind of weight pressing on me, and I could not bear it.

Guilt gnawed at me too. I hadn’t even thanked the guy who had stepped up for me in the labour room. Without him, the ...