The weight of the past few days bore heavily on Cristine as she sat in the dimly lit kitchen, staring blankly at the untouched cup of coffee in front of her. Her mind raced, replaying Andrei's bruised face, his quiet determination, and the ache in his voice as he told her not to worry. But how could she not? Every moment he spent behind bars was another stab to her heart, and the thought of him suffering because of Catalina's schemes was more than she could bear.
Her phone buzzed on the table, jolting her from her thoughts. She grabbed it quickly, her heart sinking when she saw the message.
Catalina: Meet me at my house tonight. We need to talk.
Cristine stared at the screen, her fingers trembling. She had already confronted Catalina once, begging her to drop the allegations against And
