The Prison Project (by Bethany Donaghy) novel Chapter 199

Margot’s POV

I woke slowly.

Not all at once – but in pieces.

First came the warmth.

The soft weight of the duvet wrapped around me, cocooning me in a soothing way I hadn’t felt in days. Then came the quiet. Not the eerie, hollow kind I’d grown used to in this place… but something calmer.

Safe… almost.

And then…

Returned the dull ache.

It crept in gently this time, not the violent, all-consuming pain from yesterday. Just a dull soreness stretching across my ribs, my back, my limbs… like my body was reminding me of what it had been through, but no longer screaming about it.

A small groan slipped from my lips as I shifted slightly, blinking my eyes open.

The light in the cell was softer than usual.

Morning.

I frowned slightly, my thoughts slow, heavy… fogged from the medication still lingering in my system.

How long had I been asleep?

I pushed myself up carefully, wincing only slightly this time – already noticing the difference.

Better.

Not good… but better.

My eyes moved instinctively beside me.

Empty.

The space where Coban had been last night was cold.

My chest tightened.

Gone?

Already?

For a second, something uneasy curled in my stomach, but before it could grow into something bigger-

The door opened.

The sudden sound made my head snap toward it.

And there he was.

Coban.

Filling the doorway like he always did… except this time, there was something different about him.

He had a tray in his hands.

A tray?

“Oh, fuck,” he muttered immediately, nudging the door shut with his foot. “Thought I’d be back before you woke up… you seem

I blinked at him.

Then at the tray.

Then back at him again.

“What is this?” I asked, my voice still slightly rough from the sleep.

He walked over slowly, like he wasn’t entirely sure how this would land, setting the tray down carefully across my lap.

“Breakfast in bed,” he said.

But it didn’t come out confident.

Not like him.

There was hesitation there.

Uncertainty.

Like he was bracing himself for me to reject it… or perhaps to reject him? I’d never seen him this mousy before… this was new.

I looked down at the tray.

A soft filled roll crammed with bacon and egg.

A bottle of water.

A strawberry yogurt.

An orange.

Napkins.

Simple… but thoughtful.

Really thoughtful.

And something about that made my chest tighten in a completely different way.

“You didn’t have to do that…” I started softly, glancing back up at him.

But he cut in quickly, dropping down to sit beside me.

“Oh? Good thing this isn’t for you anyway…” My eyes widened slightly at that, before he quickly broke.

A short laugh escaped him.

“No, I’m only kidding. Obviously it is…” he shook his head, running a hand back through his hair. “Sorry… I’m being a fucking prick again.”

I couldn’t help it.

A small smile broke across my face.

“No,” I said, shaking my head slightly. “This is the Coban I like.”

He glanced at me, brow lifting slightly.

“The one who jokes,” I added, picking up the roll. “The one who doesn’t feel so… heavy.”

Something flickered in his eyes at that.

But he didn’t push it.

Instead, he nodded slightly toward the desk.

“You need those?” he asked, referring to the painkillers.

“Please,” I nodded quickly.

He stood immediately, grabbing them and bringing them back without hesitation.

No attitude.

No complaints.

Just… doing a nice thing.

I unscrewed the bottle of water, swallowing the pills before taking a bite of the roll.

And god…

It tasted incredible.

I hadn’t realised just how much I needed something like this today…

“You never apologise,” I hummed lightly after a moment, glancing sideways at him.

I set the rest of the roll down carefully, wiping my hands on the napkin before answering.

“He… did come to see me,” I admitted.

His jaw tightened slightly.

“But force me to stay?” I shook my head. “No.”

I met his eyes properly.

“I’d already made my decision before you sent him.” I confirmed, followed by silence.

Then… relief flooded him.

It showed in the way his shoulders dropped slightly.

The way his jaw unclenched.

“Okay… you go,” he said.

I swallowed lightly…

Okay…

Start off easy…

“Why did you send him?” I asked. “To see me.”

His tongue ran over his bottom lip, a habit I was starting to recognise.

He hesitated.

Then sighed.

“I thought you’d leave,” he admitted.

His voice was quieter now.

More honest.

“Because of me. Because of the week we had. Because I told you to…” He paused, “I couldn’t tell you to stay myself… so I sent him.”

Then he quickly added;

“And I won’t lie… I was prepared for him to make whatever threat it took to keep you here… so I’m sorry if he was a bastard to you.” He eyed me over before going

on…

“I just…” he exhaled, “I just needed you to give me another chance and he was my last resort.”

And there it was.

The truth.

Raw.

Unfiltered.

I sat there quietly for a moment, processing it all.

Because this wasn’t just about control or manipulation…

This was something else.

Feelings he had that were real.

A fear of never seeing me again…

My fingers curled slightly into the duvet.

But this was only the beginning…

We were just getting started…