••• Victoria’s POV •••
Her presence filled the room like poison.
I didn’t need to lift my head to know it was her. The heavy perfume clinging to her like rot in a silk bottle, the smug rhythm of her breath.
“Look at you,” Evelyn sneered. “Still pretending to be strong.”
I didn’t flinch.
Not when her heels clicked across the floor. Not when her shadow danced across the wall like a demon’s silhouette. Not when she crouched just a few feet away from me, dagger flashing at her side.
“I thought you’d scream when I came in,” she mused, her voice syrupy sweet with madness. “Beg, maybe. Plead for your pathetic life.”
I slowly lifted my eyes, meeting hers. Blood-red lips. Hair curled to perfection. No bump. Not yet. But she pressed one palm to her stomach like it was a crown.
