Chapter Thirty-Seven
Ana
I lay on the thin mattress in the maid’s quarters, my back burning from the ten lashes I had just received. Every breath felt like a needle poking through my skin. I wanted to close my eyes and let the darkness take me away from the pain, but the sound of the door creaking open made me jump.
My heart hammered against my ribs.
I looked up and saw three maids walking into the small, dim room. I recognized them. They were women I had once supervised with kindness, but now they looked at me with nothing but disgust. I wondered how they even got the key to my room. Usually, the servant quarters were locked tight at this hour.
I tried to push myself up from the floor, but my body felt heavy and broken. As I struggled to find my footing, one of the maids stepped forw
