Valentina's POV
His words echoed in my mind long after his footsteps faded as he left the room. “I will not feel for traitors like you until each one of you ceases to exist.”
My body trembled from understanding the weight of those words. I lay on the bed, face pressed into the satin pillow, trying to disappear inside its folds. But there was no escape here. Only the soft rustle of sheets and the steady beat of my heart.
At this point… I should flee. He wouldn’t always talk. The moment my usefulness wore thin, he would end me. I knew enough now to say it with certainty. The laughter had died in my mind when I realized survival wasn’t about pleasing him. It was about avoiding his wrath. And his patience was not endless.
When his footsteps finally died down, I dared to breathe again. It s
