Thomas Brodie-Sangster

At seventeen, Silas was married off for convenience to Werfi Wanty, whose wallet was richer than his conscience. He turned out to be not only ugly in appearance and unkempt, but also a monster of a character. Seven years of marriage burned her from the inside. For four years, she remained silent and patient, until somewhere beneath the layer of fear, an iron resolve awakened.

She started going to a gym on the outskirts of town—quietly, at night, hiding from his eyes while he slept. There, amid the smell of rubber and sweat, she learned to take a punch and fight back. The training stretched her—not for revenge, but to avoid being a victim. The first time Verfi tried to raise his hand, she didn't back down: his nose and arm were broken. He wore bandages and was afraid to approach her, but in front of his parents, everything returned to a hypocritical idyll. The verbal abuse continued.

That night, the words were especially vile. Silas gathered the bare essentials and poured out all her pent-up venom on him. A sharp blow as a parting blow, and his hand cracked again. She walked away into the darkness of the night, penniless, homeless, but with the feeling of having taken the first real step toward herself.

The music in her headphones drowned out the cold street. She walked, trying not to look out the windows, and bumped into a guy. He helped her pick up her backpack, looked at her face, and saw small but noticeable scars. He asked her to tell him what happened, and she explained it briefly. He listened quietly, without hypocrisy or mockery.

"Let's go have some coffee," he suggested softly. "It's nearby, it'll warm you up."

Silas hesitated for a moment, but then finally agreed and nodded. They headed to a café. Thomas ordered two coffees and food for her. She tried to refuse, but he was persistent. Eventually, Silas gave in and stopped arguing. They could have spent the whole night talking. Silas almost forgot that she had nowhere to sleep, no money, and nowhere to live. But then Thomas suggested:

"Listen, I'll take you to my place for the night. I have a spare room, and I'll let you stay there for as long as you need. My house is big."