“I… I have to go,” he mutters. “I have to give the others water. It’s my job.”
“No!” I cry out, sliding my hand through the gaps between the bars to grab the front of his filthy shirt. “Please, Yuri, just listen to me…”
He doesn’t react at all, even when I realize how violently I’ve snatched him towards me, how crazy I must look, how threatening.
And it’s because he’s used to this. He’s used to being touched without permission. He’s used to being mistreated and abused.
The weight of all the unspoken horrors he’s spent five years living is almost enough to drown me.
“Yuri, I won’t hurt you,” I whisper. “Neither will your father. We just want to help.”
He shakes his head. “Only Master Viktor can help me.”
“Your father loves you so much, Yuri. He’s been destroyed since you disappeared.
