vin

had been building toward this moment for years three long, brutal years spen

before this had come

e betrayals, each one a challenge to his dominance. And each failure

actured my soul, carved away pieces

me would be

, I would

just like him cold, calculating, and cruel. They never saw me as one of their own.

hy. I hadn't been chos

a possession. A transaction

world, even charm me, into forgetting who he really was beneath the surface. But those days were fl

e. His apologies were poisoned. His

rl I once was. Now I saw clearly he was dangerous.

s over me like a blade, knowing

weapon wa

d torn it fr

and begged him to spare... had sold me. Like an object. Li

oved me. They

raded me f

knowledge

owed Cassian nothing. I was done

e a hold on me. Guilt had

meant death. And

n of power was worth my life. I ha

as planning to disappear. I knew the packhouse was full of eyes, and many of them belonged to wolve

of his wealth, but enough for me to get out. Far away. Somewhere nameless. Maybe I'd open a li

did? I had

died," I

wouldn't be a lie at all. Though knowing Cassian,

heart pounded, yes, but my resolve wa

he house. Get to the tree line. T

lose now I could

believed his promises to change. That girl was long gone. C

on of me this

rned from each one. My plan had been sharpened by p

out to famil

ck only what

roads. Use

Don't stop. Do

tra. A whispere

ipper closed, every drawer left untouched

a step toward th

ains. Without cru

was

uldn't w