The Prison Project (by Bethany Donaghy) novel Chapter 165

Chapter 165

Margot’s POV

I stared down at my tray, mildly stunned.

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It was almost empty.

Not clean, no, I hadn’t licked the plate like Leo usually would’ve, but I’d eaten far more than I’d planned to. More than I usually managed on a normal day.

My stomach felt full. Warm. Steady.

That alone felt like a small miracle amongst everything else.

I leaned back slightly in my chair, exhaling through my nose as the ache in my lower belly dulled back in to something manageable again. The heat patch helped, the food helped… and honestly? So did the fact that Coban was sitting right beside me, solid and present and not letting the world collapse inward

on us.

Across from me, Cara pushed her tray away too, brows lifting in surprise. “Okay… I did not think I’d eat all that, I obviously needed it.”

Leo smirked. “Trauma burns calories.”

Cara snorted and gasped, whacking his arm playfully. “Shut up! Visiting Sarah wasn’t trauma for us, it was a nice thing!”

“Who said I was even talking about visiting Sarah?” Leo smirked, catching her out on that one, as she rolled her eyes at him and shook her head – at a loss

for words now.

I had to admit, she’d walked herself right in to that one – as Leo continued to laugh.

I smiled faintly, letting the sound of the canteen wash over me for a moment. Plates clattering. Low voices. The scrape of chairs.

Still no trouble… before;

The new tannoy system crackled to life.

That sharp, electric static sound cutting clean through the room, and just like that, everything stopped to listen…

Forks froze mid–air.

Chairs went still.

Every head lifted toward the imaginary voice we couldn’t even see.

The speaker system seemed to die for a second, before it clicked again, and a voice came through this time – sounding way too bright, too upbeat, like it belonged in a training video instead of in a government prison scheme.

Inmates and participants, the voice chirped, we would like to congratulate most of you for handling the partner swap challenge well thus far…”

My stomach tightened instantly.

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Chapter 165

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“But we would also like to highlight to you all that twelve inmates have unfortunately been withdrawn from the project due to bad behaviour and incapacity to handle their emotions well enough to live back out in normal society.”

A ripple moved through the room.

Whispers. Sharp inhales. Someone swore under their breath.

Twelve.

On week two?

Damn!

“If the rest of you wish to see the end of this project,” the voice continued cheerfully, “then keep following the rules and learning. This is reform, and we

want to see positive social interactions.”

My jaw clenched.

Reform.

“Please prepare to return to your new cells again in the next fifteen minutes,” before the announcement finished, ‘with your new partners for another night

in the challenge. Good luck!”

The system clicked off.

Silence followed.

Then the steady return of noise, starting low and growing uneasy – buzzing with tension.

I felt sick.

Not from the food, but from the tone of that damn woman.

From the way she said it like this was some petty high school experiment, like something that hadn’t already nearly killed Sarah. Like people hadn’t bled. Like lives weren’t being played with for data points and smug conclusions.

But one cruel fact would forever stick…

I chose this.

I glanced sideways at Coban as though he could read my thoughts… but nothing.

Thunder didn’t even begin to describe his expression though as he stared towards the nearest wall.

His jaw was locked so tight that I thought his teeth might crumble down to nubs.

His eyes were darker, dangerous, forming storm clouds behind them…

“They’re all a bunch of low life pigs,” he hissed suddenly, voice low but venomous. He slammed his plastic fork down onto the tray with a clatter. “Using us like damn lab rats.”

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Chapter 165

“I know,” Leo muttered, shaking his head. “Twelve inmates already? On week two?” He clicked his tongue. “That’s brutal.

I’m pretty sure that we started off with one hundred of us in on this, and now that left us at eighty eight? Woah!

Cara’s fingers curled into the edge of the table. “What else are they gonna throw at us?” she whispered. “This already fools pushing people to snap.

Leo shrugged, forcing a grin that didn’t quite land. “Maybe next week they’ll make us all hug it out. Group

Despite myself, a small laugh slipped out.

Cara snorted too. “You’d hate that more than the swap.”

“Damn right, Leo grinned. “I’m not hugging any of you.”

But Coban didn’t smile.

“Whatever they want,” he said flatly, voice cutting straight through the humour, “we’ll do it. Because we need this to work for us.”

His gaze flicked to me and it was only for a quick second before he spoke again:

“We need out of here.”

The words settled heavy in my chest.

Out.

Not just for him.

For all of us.

And the money?

I’d almost forgot about the money in it for us too.

It would be life changing… at least for Cara and I.

But at what cost would we get it?

I swallowed, nodding slowly, appreciating his desperation in all of this.

“We will do whatever it takes.” Leo chimes in, supporting the idea too with a nod before taking a long swig from a water bottle.

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