Chapter 26: Running out of Time
lina lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, her chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. The fire crackled in the quiet room, but her mind was anything but still. She couldn't stay here. Viktor had warned her—if she ran, she needed to be fast. It wasn’t a threat. It was a fact. But he underestimated her. She had failed once, yes. But now she knew better. Now she had studied every detail of the house, observed the guards, mapped out the estate inside her head. She clenched her fists. If Viktor thought she had surrendered, he was wrong. You will not break me. She repeated the words in her mind, solidifying them like steel in her veins. She had to wait for the perfect moment. And tonight, she would take it. --- The next evening, she forced herself to move carefully, to act a
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