Leah
I watched as they carried Ella away, her limp body slung between two guards like a broken doll. The moment the door to the guest wing clicked shut, Martha whipped around. Her eyes locked onto mine—pure, seething venom.
“You’ll pay for this,” she whispered, the words slithering out between clenched teeth.
I didn’t blink. I didn’t answer. There was nothing left to say. She already knew. The old Leah—the one who shrank under glares, who apologized for breathing too loudly—was gone. I’d buried her somewhere between dying once and clawing my way back. Martha could hate me all she wanted. Hate didn’t scare me anymore.
I turned and walked back to my room without another glance.
The door had barely closed behind me when I let my shoulders drop. I sank onto the edge of the mattress, exhau
