Serena's POV
I'm still curled up on the tiny couch in the living room.
My eyes sting from tears, but I’m too drained to wipe them away.
The coffee stain on the counter taunts me, leaving a mark of my failure to protect Mia, to be the sister she deserves.
Victor’s words gnawed at my mind. “Men would pay good money for a girl like her.”
My stomach twists, and I press my hand to my mouth, stifling a scream. I can’t let him touch her. I won’t. But the weight of the vow is faint.
The door suddenly creaks open, and my heart stutters. I sit up, scrubbing my face with the sleeve of my oversized T-shirt, desperate to hide my troubles.
Mia steps inside, her backpack slung over one shoulder, her brown eyes wide with that wild, searching look she gives when she senses something’s wrong.
She
