CHAPTER 1
NOTE TO READERS: THIS BOOK CONTAIN OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE AND BULLYING WHICH MAY SEEM OFFENSIVE TO READERS. #SayNoToBullying - IT ALSO CONTAINS S*X SCENES***CLASSROOM***"Did you see the way she flinched when Caleb got in her face?" Maddie's words dripped with wicked enjoyment as she took her normal place in the back of the English classroom.Trent snickered and slumped down alongside her. "Like a scared little rabbit." "You'd think the mute freak would be accustomed to it by now."Their laughter sliced through the dull roar of student talk, with an edge sharp enough to pierce even the toughest exteriors. Not that their intended target could answer with anything other than a pained expression.Lila kept her gaze fixed on the blank notebook before her, her hands clutched tightly in her lap to conceal a tiny trembling. She strained to block out the vicious remarks, to build the invisible walls that were her sole defense against the barrage of heartless words."Seriously, how does she expect to make it through high school?" Maddie continued, loud enough that Lila couldn't miss the hatred in her tone. "She can't even talk back to defend her freakish self."A heavy quiet descended over the cluster of desks that surrounded Lila as the other students drew back, instinctively withdrawing themselves from the line of fire. No one dared to intervene in the face of Caleb Matthews' exclusive inner circle's vengeful anger.Caleb swaggered into the room, as if called by their stinging remarks, claiming immediate attention and respect. With his crafted looks and easy, contagious charm, the top basketball star could have graced any magazine's cover.Trent immediately perked up, his eyes gleaming with an arrogant need for acceptance. "Did you see how we got the mute girl all worked up before class, man? "She looked like she was going to cry."Caleb's lips twisted into a slow, predatory grin as his gaze fixed on Lila. Even though she didn't look up, she could feel the weight of his gaze burning into her like a white-hot brand."Aw, you didn't make the poor thing weep, did you?" His tone was tinged with fake pity, and each patronizing phrase was like a precisely aimed bullet. "We need to be more considerate of her...limitations."Laughter spread like a virus throughout the audience as they basked in Caleb's warped charisma. He thrived on creating a captive biosphere of cruelty, with the subtle brushstrokes of a genuine master.Lila sank into her seat and desperately blinked back the embarrassing prick of tears. Don't show weakness, don't give them satisfaction, she told herself. However, it was like attempting to block a surging flood with her bare hands."Well, if it isn't little Ms. Mute," Caleb said, sauntering over to the tower above Lila's huddled body like a sleek leopard toying with its victim.Unable to leave, she braved a quick glimpse up at her tormentor and was immediately entrapped by the swirling depths of disdain in his chillingly soulless eyes."Cat got your tongue, freak?" Caleb taunted with a serpentine hiss. "Or are you just too scared to admit the truth - that you're a worthless, defective waste of—"The hard crash of a book against the desktop mercifully broke him off as Mrs. Wilkin entered with her signature disapproving look."That's enough from you, Mr. Matthews," she reprimanded sharply. "Perhaps you'd like to share your insights on how To Kill A Mockingbird's exploration of societal injustice with the rest of the class?"Lila silently let out the air she'd been holding as Caleb strolled to the front of the room, unleashing his disruptive charm on their unsuspecting teacher. She received a little respite from his malicious agony.But the shadows of his hateful words persisted, gradually smothering her beneath their deadly weight. On the whiteboard before her, a chilling observation appeared to ignite with piercing truth:"The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience."The piercing bell rang, jolting Lila back into the hard reality of the empty classroom. Dried tear streaks streaked her cheeks as she gently gathered her books, Caleb's parting remarks still stifling the air around her.Normally, the reassuring presence of her best friend Mia would have been enough to ward off the harshest blows. But Mia was out sick that day, leaving Lila to face the pain alone, without her beloved defender.She stood motionless for a long time, watching as the final few students hurried out. No one gave her a second glance; the mute girl, the target, was just another daily fixture to avoid attracting unwanted attention.Lila stroked her fingers over the mocking phrases Caleb had scratched into her desk, carving his cruelty into a lasting stain on her life, just as the scars he inflicted were invisible to others."Worthless freak."The slur appeared to resound through her spirit with terrible finality. How much more of this could she bear? When will the never-ending barrage of anguish from her peers, from the entire cruel world, ultimately crush what is left of her spirit?Steeling herself, Lila pushed one foot in front of the other towards the door, her shoulders bowed under the weight of her silence. She refused to exhibit weakness or crumple under Caleb's tyrannical attempts to silence her voice, her very existence.But, as she went woodenly through the halls, each spiteful gaze and whispered jeer slashed like ritualistic slashes at her fragile defenses. By the time she reached the art room's closed door, her entire body was numb and rigid.Lila stumbled to the antique horsehair sofa, its shapes softened by years of cradling broken students in search of relief. Crumpling into the falling cushions, she eventually let her emotions pour in huge, wrenching gasps.Why? Why was she labelled an outcast, a disgrace, simply for being unable to speak? Lila never asked for the disability that made her useless in the eyes of her tormentors.As her agonizing screams erupted in ragged gasps, she banged her hands against the ruined sketchbook that had been her lone companion. Its worn pages were muddled with the evidence of her never-ending struggle to be seen and her unheard thoughts finally heard.By the time the racking sobs stopped, Lila could only slump in hollow separation, her eyes dry and unfocused. What was the purpose of battling anymore? Caleb and his merciless group of hyenas had already triumphed, destroying her with their cruelty.She was nothing. A broken, flawed waste, as he never failed to remind her. Alone, without even Mia's unwavering support, her sole company the deafening silence that condemned her to invisibility.Perhaps it was now time to give up, to accept her destiny as a societal vanishing. At the very least, perhaps the pain would stop, and the scars would heal over her grievously injured psyche.Lila's gaze swept across the canvas she had begun, the distorted charcoal strokes merging into unrecognizable anguish. A hollow, twisted representation of her existence.Gathering the torn bits of her sketchbook, she gradually proceeded to take the pages out one by one, reducing her desires and visions to scattered ashes of oblivion. Soon, the once-vibrant space lay cocooned in a blanket of smothering silence, a little purgatory where she could simply cease to exist.The door suddenly burst open, shattering Lila's dismal bubble. She flinched involuntarily at the disruption, bracing herself for a verbal barrage of darts and spiteful hatred...CHAPTER 2The final bell rang, signaling the end of another exhausting day at Willow Creek High School. Lila Emerson rushed down the corridor, head dropped, attempting to avoid the sneers and taunts that appeared to follow her like a dark cloud. "Hey, mute girl!" Caleb's nasty voice cut over the din of students. "Why don't you open that pretty little mouth and say something for once?"Lila increased her speed, her heart beating against her ribs. She could feel their gaze on her, burning into her back like hot coals. A nasty chuckle rang out behind her, followed by a chorus of giggles from Caleb's buddies.Pushing through the double doors, she sucked in the fresh air, hoping it would calm her racing heart. The taunts faded into the distance, but their pain persisted, like a constant aching that refused to go away.Mia's house was a few blocks away, a haven from the nastiness that seemed to follow Lila everywhere she went. She headed out down the usual walk, her thoughts going to her b
CHAPTER 3LILA POV: Lila pulled open the door to her father's workshop, where she was met by the familiar fragrance of sawdust and varnish. It was a smell she had remembered since she was a youngster, a constant companion amidst her life's ever-changing currents.Ethan Emerson stood slumped over his workstation, his broad shoulders straining against the tightness of his well-worn shirt. The rhythmic rasp of sandpaper against wood filled the air, interrupted by her father's grunts of stress. Lila lingered in the doorway for a time, her fingers twitching with the want to announce her arrival. But something was holding her back, a tension that appeared to crackle in the air between them like static electricity.Finally, Ethan looked up, his brow furrowing as he noticed her there. "Lila," he grumbled, his voice rough. "Didn't hear you come in."Her hands moved smoothly, each gesture precise and purposeful. "You were focused on your work."Ethan grumbled again and dropped the half-sanded
CHAPTER 4With a tremulous smile tugging at the edges of her lips, Lila went forward and carefully pried the dirty paper towels from her father's white-knuckled hands. Ethan winced as the improvised bandage ripped away from the sharp wound, revealing fresh blood and flowing scarlet rivulets down his forearm.Lila's breath caught in her throat, but she refused to let the sight of her father's wounds upset her newfound determination. Her actions were smooth and sure as she gently rinsed Ethan's hand under the cool water, removing the congealed blood and dirt.Ethan growled through gritted teeth, his face contorted into a pained expression. "Son of a b*tch," he snarled, his words full of hatred.Lila gave him a severe look, waving her fingers in a stinging reproach. "Language, Dad."To her surprise, Ethan's lips twitched into a ghostly smile. "Yes, ma'am," he said, grudgingly respectful.Lila worked quickly and expertly to clean and treat the wound, her experienced hands belied her youth
CHAPTER 5As they arrived home, the steady throbbing in Ethan's palm served as a continuous reminder of how quickly things may go wrong. Each throb of anguish served as a flashing neon sign, telling him not to take the delicate calm he had discovered with Lila for granted. He flexed his tightly bandaged fingers, wincing at the strain of torn tissue and muscle beneath the bandage. An accident like this could have been terrible for someone who relied on his hands to make money. As it was, the forced idleness and reliance on others irritated every fiber of his steadfast independence.But as Ethan watched Lila painstakingly prepare his antibiotic prescription, he felt a weird sense of serenity. The awkward, stiff quiet that had existed between them for so long had ended. In its place was a newfound ease, an understanding rooted in shared vulnerability.Lila looked up, her beautiful eyes searching his face as she extended the small paper cup containing capsules. _"Time for your meds,"_ sh
CHAPTER 6Willow Creek High's hallways buzzed with the familiar thrum of teenage chaos. Bodies pushed and rubbed against one another in a turning sea of hormones and indifference. While banging lockers and wild laughing, Lila Emerson's Absence went completely unnoticed.To most, she was nothing more than a silent shadow on the outskirts of their awareness. A mystery cloaked in the impenetrable cloak of her silence. Caleb Matthews, on the other hand, saw her as a strange form of entertainment—a punching bag on which he could unleash his cruelest jabs and most savage derisions.As he swaggered into the crowded corridor, a malicious smirk formed on his lips, his alpha pheromones billowing through the air like a toxic cloud. Beside him, Yuria, his fiancée Miranda's best friend, was practically crazy with excitement, her anxious eyes flitting over his carved features."Heard the mute freak decided to play hooky today," Caleb snarled, his words oozing with contempt. "Lucky bitch gets to ski
CHAPTER 7The final bell rang, echoing through the now-empty halls like a starting pistol. Yuria ran out the front doors, her pulse pumping with nerves and excitement. Caleb's beautiful sports car was already idling on the curb when she arrived. He cranked the engine anxiously as she got into the passenger seat, and the roar sent shivers down her spine. Without saying anything, he stepped away from the school, one hand firmly operating the gearshift.The short journey to his house was spent in tense quiet, the tension building with each sidelong glance and half-smile they shared. By the time Caleb pulled into his vacant driveway, Yuria could not breathe from her need for him.He turned off the engine but did not make any attempts to exit the car. They locked eyes and stared at one other for a passionate minute. With an animalistic grunt, Caleb surged across the desk, smashing his lips against Yuria's in a searing, desperate kiss.She gasped into his mouth, grabbing his shirt, as need
CHAPTER 8Caleb appeared to figure out the direction of her thoughts. He leaned in close, his lips brushing against the soft skin just behind her ear. "Don't overthink this, babe," he said in that deep, gravelly voice that never failed to pique her interest. "We both got exactly what we wanted today. There's no need to ruin the mood with unnecessary details."Yuria shuddered as his husky tenor caressed her senses, making rational thought difficult. Perhaps he was correct; why concentrate on possibilities that could go nowhere good? For the time being, she should simply enjoy the private conversations they had while Miranda was away.Yuria turned in Caleb's arms, determinedly ignoring her anxieties, until she was straddling his lean hips, her tumbling hair creating a leather curtain around them. "You're right," she whispered, laying a line of feathery kisses across his muscular chest. "No need to ruin the mood with unnecessary drama."Caleb gasped in approval, his hands finding grip on
CHAPTER 9Claire Matthews entered through the front entrance, her arms full of grocery bags. "Caleb? Julia? We're back!" she said in a cheerful, sing-song voice.Robert followed closely behind, expertly shouldering the larger paper sacks from the car while flashing his wife a loving grin. "The conquering heroes return from a hard day's hunter-gathering," he said with a laugh.Robert noticed movement in the living room and raised his brow in astonishment as Caleb came into view, trailed by Julia. "Well, what is this? "Son, shouldn't you be at basketball practice?"There was no reproach in his tone, only quiet inquiry. Robert took satisfaction in being involved in his children's lives, especially because Claire's high-pressure career kept her away from home more than they preferred.Caleb shrugged, his casual lean highlighted by the broad, muscular shape that always gave Robert a quiet sense of masculine pride. "Hi, Dad. Coach canceled today's class, saying, "We've been pushing ourselve