Valeria's POV
I did not sleep.
Not even for a second.
Every time my eyes closed, I saw ants convulsing on the concrete floor. Tiny bodies twitching. Dying. Because of the food I had almost eaten. Because of how close I had come to never opening my eyes again.
The cell was quiet, too quiet, the kind of silence that pressed against my skull until my thoughts echoed too loudly. The thin blanket itched against my skin, but I barely noticed. I sat upright on the narrow cot, my back against the cold wall, knees pulled to my chest like a child hiding from a storm.
Someone wanted me dead.
That truth settled deep in my bones sometime around dawn.
It was not just about prison anymore. Or false charges. Or evidence that made no sense. Whoever was behind this was not satisfied with ruining my
