Venessa’s POV
I woke drenched in sweat, my chest heaving as though I’d been running for my life. Fate was cruel like that determined not to let me forget. In my sleep, I had relived my judgment. My execution. The memory wrapped itself around me so tightly it felt real, as if it had only just happened and I had only just returned from the darkness.
I felt the blade fall again. Felt the moment everything went black. The damnation clawed its way back into my mind, sharp and merciless, and I broke down, sobbing into the sheets. Why did it have to be me? Why was I never allowed a normal life? Even knowing I was ahead of my enemies now didn’t ease the ache. The truth that they had won once just once still shattered something inside me.
Images flooded my mind. Denzel sprawled in his office, ly
