Genesis's body throbbed with pain. She had been slammed against the floor and walls so many times she'd lost count. Blood from her nose and split lips painted the ground like a canvas. They had been at it for hours—since morning. Cady and the rest of the girls had left. They couldn't bear to watch. Even Knight had walked out.
"Get up and hit me. Don't be such a bitch," Selene said, looking down at Genesis, who lay on the ground, wincing.
Genesis began crawling toward her, her trembling hand reaching for Selene's leg. But Selene raised her foot and kicked her hard in the stomach.
Genesis's mouth opened in a silent scream, blood trailing from her lips.
"I said get up," Selene snapped. "We've been here for hours and you haven't landed a single hit."
She tilted her head, smiling, then glanced toward the wall. "Seems Knight made a mistake," she muttered.
The words stabbed into Genesis. Tears spilled down her cheeks.
"Why would he marry someone like this? How are you supposed to protect him? You can't even protect yourself. He went and married a mute, weak little thing," Selene sneered.
She began walking toward Genesis again. Genesis tried to crawl away, but her body refused to move fast enough. Selene raised her boot to stomp her—
But Genesis turned just in time, lifting her arm and catching the boot mid-air. She held it with every ounce of strength she had left.
Selene laughed. "What do you think you're doing, little girl? Think you can stop me?"
She pressed down harder with her foot. Genesis gritted her teeth, her hand burning under the pressure.
"You let me beat you," Selene said coldly. "Just like you let your family do it."
Genesis's eyes widened. How could Selene know that? They had just met.
"They stripped you of everything. Hurt you. And never apologized. And now, just because you have your big, bad husband, you think he'll save you? He won't. You need to save yourself."
More tears streaked Genesis's bruised, sweat-drenched face. Her hand trembled under Selene's boot.
"You gonna let me treat you like they did? Or are you going to fight back?" Selene's voice rose with every word.
Genesis looked up at her—but she didn't see Selene anymore. She saw the past.
Flashes of words. Of fists. Of shame.
"Come on, crawl like a dog and come and take," eighteen-year-old Jimmy had said to her nine-year-old self, locked in a dark basement, no food, no light, no place to relieve herself.
"Come on, doggy, doggy…"
Another memory. Monica slapping her across the face. "You useless child! You broke my good china!" She'd only been ten.
More flashes. Smack. Hit. Smack.
And then Mark. "Open your mouth or I won't get you any sanitary pads," he said, wagging himself in front of her sixteen-year-old self. "You know if you stink, mother's gonna beat you."
She'd looked from him to the pack in his hand. Thought, If I do it, I'll get the pack. Maybe half. Maybe they'll last if I use them well. So she opened her mouth.
He gave her only one. Then laughed and zipped up, leaving her jaw aching, her body dripping with shame.
She remembered being whipped naked in the sun. Over and over. Her skin bore every scar.
And then—
Selene's voice pierced through it all.
"So what now? You gonna be a dog? Or worse—a little puppy clinging to Knight, hoping he'll protect you? He won't always be there."
"Fight, Genesis. Bring out that rage and fight."
Genesis's head lolled, her hand still pressed against the boot.
Selene smirked. "Guess you're too far gone. Fine. Come on, doggy. Get up and follow your master."
Those words.
Genesis's eyes shot open wide.
She didn't see Selene anymore.
She saw them.
And she screamed.
Not silent this time.
It tore from her throat—loud, raw, fierce.
She shoved Selene's leg off her with a strength she didn't know she had. Selene stumbled, caught off guard.
Genesis lunged off the floor, tackled her, straddled her—
Then the punches came.
One. Two. Three.
Selene's head snapped back, her braid whipping over her shoulder.
She blinked—once, twice—confused.
Then came the fourth punch.
And Genesis didn't stop.
Her knuckles split. Her fists were wild, messy—but filled with something more powerful than skill.
Rage. Real, unfiltered rage.
Blood splattered across Selene's face and the mat. She tried to move. To block. But the fire in Genesis's eyes froze her in place.
That scream still echoed in the room.
The voice of a girl who had been quiet for far too long.
Genesis hit her again.
And again.
Tears streamed down her face. Her mouth open, like the scream hadn't stopped.
Like she had finally found her voice—in every punch.
Selene finally shoved her off with a grunt, rolling over and coughing, one eye swelling shut, her nose bleeding—but she laughed.
A low, hoarse, amused laugh.
"There you are," she breathed, spitting blood to the side. "Took you long enough."
Genesis was crouched on all fours, panting. Shaking. Her fists trembled, red from both her own blood and Selene's. Her voice didn't come again—she had no idea how she had even screamed. Her throat burned from it. Her lungs ached.
But something had shifted inside her.
Selene pushed up to her knees, her chest rising and falling fast.
She looked at Genesis, really looked at her and then smiled.
"You're not weak," she said, her voice calm now, steady. "You're just scared. But scared girls can still burn kingdoms down."
Genesis met her gaze.
And for once… she believed her.