The safe house air was thick with the metallic scent of blood and gunpowder as Aria pressed her hands against Sofia’s wound, her own heart pounding so hard it felt like it would break through her ribs. Dante’s father stood before them, wounded but alive, his cold smile a mirror of the man she had fallen in love with. The revelations of the night — Project Pawn, her mother’s death, the endless layers of betrayal — crashed over her like a tidal wave, threatening to pull her under.
“Stay with me, Sofia,” Aria whispered urgently, her voice cracking despite the queen she had become. “Don’t you dare leave us now.”
Sofia’s eyes fluttered open, weak but determined. “He’s lying… Dante didn’t know the full plan… I swear it…”
Dante roared as more guards poured into the room, his movements fueled b
