Marked By The Mad King Alpha (Phoebe and Perry) novel Chapter 88

Chapter 88: Her Silence Becomes Deafening

Phoebe’s Perspective

“I have never lied to you,” I whispered, my eyelids squeezed shut as the sharp, relentless pain in my stomach twisted deeper. Each inhale felt like a battle, every breath a laborious effort.

A cold sweat formed tiny beads across my forehead, yet I bit down hard on my trembling lips, forcing myself to stay silent. When I finally spoke, my voice wavered, betraying the turmoil inside.

“Reginald tried to force himself on me. I wasn’t lying when I told you, but you refused to believe a single word. Instead, you chose to stand by him. You didn’t just fail to protect me—you sided with the man who hurt me.”

Cameron’s expression hardened, his stance unyielding. “Reginald would never do such a thing,” he insisted, voice firm.

“You say that because it’s the version you want to hold onto,” I snapped bitterly. “But have you ever, even once, stopped to consider that my story might be true?”

The pain in my abdomen intensified, making my head spin and my thoughts scatter. Words tumbled out of me without filter, raw and unguarded.

All the anguish I had buried deep inside, the silent screams I’d never dared to voice because no one listened, because I was silenced.

And since I no longer expected mercy from my father, the floodgates opened. The fear that usually kept me shrinking into myself was gone. For the first time, I refused to cower before him as I always had.

“My only crime,” I said, voice trembling but steady, “was being born a girl. If I’d been a boy—if I were your son—you would have fought for me against the whole world.” A bitter laugh escaped me. “It would have been nice to have you on my side, just once.”

Cameron said nothing, his silence heavy. But I didn’t care anymore if he listened. That wasn’t the point now.

The cramps in my belly worsened, a sharp, searing ache that made my ears ring. I gasped sharply, though to Cameron it probably sounded like shivering in the cold. The cell was freezing, the temperature dropping sharply after nightfall.

“How do you justify what Kevin did to me?” I demanded, voice cracking with pain and fury. “You knew how wrong it was when he forced himself on me, but you stayed silent while he tormented me for a whole year. You acted like I was invisible. Did pretending I didn’t exist make it easier for you?”

I sucked in a ragged breath, curling tighter into myself, but pressed on.

“You say Reginald would never touch me inappropriately, yet you let Kevin abuse me openly. He didn’t even bother hiding it, and you did nothing. As my father, you should have shielded me. How do you explain letting him do that?”

My breathing grew uneven, ragged. I lowered my head to rest on my knees, trying to steady myself through the pain.

He had told himself he felt nothing for her anymore. He had convinced himself he didn’t care.

But seeing her like this—so broken, so silent—felt like a blade twisting inside him. This was exactly why he had avoided her, why he had kept his distance during that terrible year when Kevin had used her as his plaything.

He knew how wrong it all was. He should have stopped Kevin. He should have protected her.

But he hadn’t. And now, no excuse could justify his silence.

Cameron had kept away because he was ashamed—ashamed of his own failure to act. No matter what Phoebe had done, she was still his daughter.

“Phoebe!” he shouted desperately. “Wake up! What has the king done to you?” He hadn’t seen any obvious injuries when she was brought in, but she looked fragile, fragile beyond words. “Phoebe, can you hear me? Please, wake up!”

He shook the bars violently, but they didn’t budge. Even if he shifted into his wolf form, breaking the bars was impossible. And in his human state, he was powerless.

“What’s going on?!” Timothy’s voice cut through the tense silence, urgent and demanding.