Liliana
I watched Mikhail disappear up the stone stairs like he was running from a fire. His footsteps echoed in the darkness until they faded away completely. The silence that followed was thick and heavy, like a blanket made of fear.
"Well," Katarina said from her metal chair, her voice dripping with satisfaction. "That went better than I expected."
I turned to look at her, this woman who looked so much like Anastasia but felt so different. Her eyes were bright with cruel joy, like she'd just won some twisted game.
"You're enjoying this," I said, my voice shaking with disgust. "You're actually happy that you just destroyed him."
"I didn't destroy him," she replied sweetly. "I freed him. For the first time in his life, Mikhail is seeing the truth about his precious Aunt Anastasia."
