Your Regrets Mean Nothing To Me




Dusk painted the mountain in shadows. Through sheer force of will, Elysia struggled along the muddy mountain path, dragging her battered body back to the cave entrance, now concealed beneath a thick canopy of branches and leaves.

With bloodied hands, she cleared away the camouflage, her injured leg protesting every movement.

"Thank God, the fever's broken!" Relief flooded her voice, instantly touching the viewers' hearts. She went still, listening intently to the mountain's evening chorus- cicadas chirping, wild dogs barking, distant villagers muttering. But no police search teams calling out.

The livestream chat erupted with questions.

[Search party already bailed before dark?]

[Can't expect cops to search forever. Blame Elysia for hiding them in the middle of nowhere.]

[Get your facts straight. My brother was on the search team. Just asked him- Rowena straight-up lied, told them everyone was home safe. How's that on Elysia?]

'Had Rowena really lied to the police?' The thought left a hollow pit in Caellan's stomach.

The projection shifted as night claimed the mountain. The scene changed to reveal a familiar wood house, where a new horror awaited.

"Useless girl!" Lyra's harsh voice cracked through the darkness. "What took you so long? Picking mushrooms doesn't take all day." The voice grew more menacing. "Trying to run away, you little wretch?"

"No! Lyra, please!" Elysia's plea was cut short as a twisted face filled the screen, wielding a thick branch. The blows fell mercilessly.

Odessa scrambled up the wall at the sounds of violence. "Stop! Don't hurt her!" Her voice cracked with desperation. "Elysia, run! Hide!"

After several savage strikes, Elysia lay motionless on the ground. A seven-year-old boy darted from the house, ignoring the fallen girl. "Mom, I'm starving," Ethan Brook whined. "If you kill her, who's gonna cook?"

Reason flickered in Lyra's eyes. She dropped the branch, checking Elysia's breathing with sudden care. Finding her meal ticket still alive, her voice turned honey-sweet. "Darling, I was just worried. You understand, don't you?"

Elysia lay still, breath shallow. As Lyra's patience wore thin, she wondered if she'd gone too far. Usually, a few hits didn't leave the girl this lifeless.

Just as she moved to drag Elysia inside to check if she was faking, a faint "mm" escaped the girl's lips.

"I understand... Won't happen... again." Each word cost Elysia precious energy. Already wounded and exhausted from her mountain ordeal, she'd barely made it back before dark, only to face another beating.

Lyra's snort cut through the air as her facade crumbled. "Go make dinner. And don't let me catch you sneaking peeks at Ethan's books. No reading, got it?"

[Listen to this monster!]

[Talk about split personality. Classic kidnapper-that sweet act almost had me fooled.]

[Whatever. Elysia's grades sucked anyway. She's better off in the kitchen.]

Back in the studio, Caellan seized on this new revelation. "See that, Fenwick?" He turned to his brother excitedly. "She left me behind! She really is heartless. I wish Torin could see this."

Fenwick barely nodded, lost in thought about which flowers to bring Rowena. Elysia's tragic past meant nothing to him. Sure, she'd suffered - but in his mind, trauma could never justify hurting innocent people. Content belongs to Novelxo.org

His jaw clenched as he thought of Rowena lying in a hospital bed while this criminal walked free under Stellan's protection, probably living the high life.

The memory projection pulled everyone's attention back to the past. In the cattle pen, where

viewers gasped at the sight of Odessa chained by the ankle

1.net

post. She lunged toward Elysia the moment she entered. Content belongs to Novelxo.org S

"Are you okay? Where does it hurt?" Odessa's voice dripped with worry.

Elysia stumbled onto a haystack, her loose clothing revealing freshly bleeding wounds that had barely scabbed over.

Odessa froze, tears welling up as she bit her lip. Finally, she threw herself at Elysia, her voice breaking. "Who... who did this to you?"

A sad smile crossed Elysia's face as she hugged Odessa. "No one hurt me. I found two children today. I took extra time hiding them so they wouldn't end up like us."

She omitted the part about being pushed down the slope, keeping her explanation simple.

This only made Odessa cry harder. Here was someone younger than herself calling others "children"—wasn't Elysia still a child herself, deserving protection?

"I'm so sorry," Odessa sobbed. "Without me holding you back, you'd be free by now. Why am I so useless?"

Nine years of failed escapes weighed on her conscience every attempt thwarted by her weakness or fear. And always, Elysia took the beatings meant for her.

Now she'd become Elysia's chain. Lyra knew as long as Odessa remained locked up, Elysia would return each day before dark, arms full of precious medicinal herbs. That was why she allowed the girl some freedom.

"Don't cry... Odessa. I'm... fine..." Elysia managed before consciousness slipped

away.

[My poor Elysia, you're too good for this world. I'd have been long gone.]

[Show some loyalty! If Elysia ever abandoned our Odessa, she'd be dead to me.]

[Funny how Elysia neglects her real siblings but bends over backward for strangers. Classic outsider syndrome.]

[Back off, haters! You don't know how she treats family. Didn't she save Torin

before?]

Fenwick's eyes narrowed as he

tracked the scrolling comments. Far

from changing his mind, they only reinforced his conviction. In his eyes, the pattern was clear-Elysia's devotion was calculatingly selective, showering Torin, Caellan, Stellan,

and this Odessa with loyalty while treating him and Rowena with deliberate cruelty. Content belongs to Novelxo.org