Valentina's POV
Before I saw him again. Before I let myself fall into whatever spell his touch had cast. Before I became something else in this cursed place.
I couldn’t stay.
My eyes moved to the window—tall, narrow, just enough to see the treetops beyond the estate’s outer wall. A reminder of something real, something outside. Something alive.
And then I remembered.
The stitches. The fabric.
Before the attack—before he had lost control—I’d spent hours sewing long strands of cloth together. Sheets, dresses, whatever I could find. It had been foolish at the time. Desperate. But now?
It was my only way out.
I moved.
Slowly at first.
My legs shook as I slid out from under the covers. Cold air bit at my skin. My knees wobbled beneath me, but I forced myself to stand. Every inch of my
