MasukValeria's POV “Don’t pretend like you suddenly care for me,” I cut in sharply, my patience snapping. “What is this really about, Terra?”The name slipped out with intention.I saw it hit her immediately. Her eyes widened ever so slightly, the faintest crack in her composure. Good. She didn’t deserve to be called anything else. She wasn’t my mother. Not anymore.“Valeria, please just—”“This is about money, isn’t it?” I interrupted again, my tone laced with biting sarcasm. “Going by your appearance, you’re in desperate need of some cash. Wherever the hell you’ve been didn’t favor you, huh? You couldn’t show your face to Dad so you came to me because you still think I’m that helpless little kid who couldn’t live without her Mom.”“No, sweetheart. You’ve got it all wrong. Please just listen to me for a second—”“Stop it!” I snapped, my voice rising. “Stop with the emotional blackmail, it won’t work on me. I’ve already lost all respect for you, don’t make me lose my humanity as well. If
Valeria’s POVWhen I opened my eyes, the first thing that hit me was the unfamiliarity.It wasn’t just the room. It was the silence, the stillness, the way everything felt slightly… off, like I had woken up in a place that didn’t belong to me. For a few seconds, I simply lay there, staring at the ceiling, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. My brain felt slow, sluggish, like it was struggling to catch up with reality.Then I tried to move.The moment I pushed myself up even slightly, a sharp, piercing pain shot through my head, so sudden and intense that I gasped and dropped back onto the bed immediately. A high-pitched ringing followed, echoing through my skull like a warning siren, and I squeezed my eyes shut, gripping the sheets tightly as I tried to breathe through it.What the hell…My hand instinctively moved to my head, fingers brushing against something rough and unfamiliar. Bandages.That was enough to send my survival instincts into overdrive.My eyes snapped open aga
Valeria's POV Because she was pulling me along so urgently, I couldn’t see her face. The hood of her sweatshirt obscured most of her features, and all I could make out were fragments. She was definitely a middle-aged woman, dressed in simple grey sweatpants and a hoodie that looked worn but clean. Her build was a little on the heavier side, nothing remarkable, but her grip on my wrist was firm and steady.And her hand…It was soft. Warm. Comforting in a way that made no sense given the situation.That same wave of familiarity washed over me again, stronger this time, and it unsettled me deeply. I had no reason to trust her. After everything that had happened today, trusting anyone felt like the fastest way to get myself killed. And yet, something deep inside me insisted that she wasn’t with Isis. That she hadn’t been sent to finish what the others started.But if not that… then what?“At least tell me where we’re going,” I pressed, my voice tightening as my head throbbed violently wit
Valeria's POV The moment they closed in around me, forming a loose but unmistakable circle, I knew there was no escaping this without playing along. Every instinct in my body screamed at me to run, to fight, to do something—anything—but the cold, unyielding press of the gun at my back was enough to silence every reckless impulse. I could try screaming for help, but what good would that do? Wouldn't I just end up with a bullet lodged in my spine before anyone could even process what was happening?No. It wasn’t worth the risk.If I died now, Isis would win. She would get away with everything—every lie, every scheme, every attempt on my life. I had come too far, endured too much, to let it end like this.So I nodded.It was small, barely perceptible, but it was enough. The man behind me seemed satisfied because the pressure of the gun shifted slightly, and one of the others gestured sharply toward a narrow alleyway just a few feet away. My legs felt unsteady as I moved, my heart slammi
Valeria's POV My words came out rushed, slightly slurred as I struggled to speak through the pain and panic.“She destroyed the tires of my car and I know she's going to come out of that door any minute. I'm in my car right now and I feel like a sitting duck about to be picked for slaughter. What do I do?”There was a brief pause.Then his voice came back, steady and firm.“OK. Please relax, Valeria. You'll be fine. Just take a deep breath for me.”I obeyed, forcing in a shaky breath.“I'm coming there right now but you can't stay there and wait for me since Isis is dangerous. Don't stay in the car. Leave there on foot and take your phone with you. Find somewhere to hide out like a store or a church. Make sure there are lots of people around so she can't pull anything. Do you understand?”“Yes.”“Now please go. I'm on my way there right now.”I could hear movement on his end. Shuffling. A car door slamming.“OK. Please come quickly, I'm scared.”“You're a smart woman, Valeria. You ca
Valeria’s POVPanic clawed its way through every inch of my body as the reality of what was happening settled in.I was dying.The thought wasn’t dramatic or exaggerated. It was cold, clear and terrifyingly real.My lungs burned as if they were being set on fire from the inside, desperate for air that simply wasn’t coming. Isis’ fingers dug deeper into my throat, her grip tightening with every second, crushing my windpipe and cutting off what little oxygen I had left.My hands trembled as they clawed at her wrists, trying to pry her off me, but my strength was slipping away far too quickly. My vision blurred at the edges, dark spots creeping in, swallowing everything whole.No, no, no.I couldn’t die here.Not like this.Not at her hands.Not when Elliot was waiting for me.The image of my son flashed through my mind so vividly that it felt like a physical blow to my chest. His small hands, his bright eyes, the way he smiled at me like I was his entire world.I couldn’t leave him.I r
Luka’s POVThe house felt wrong when I stepped inside.It was too quiet and polished, too untouched by the chaos that had been tearing through my life. It made me want to turn back and it wasn't for the same reason I'd been running since I divorced her. The quiet gave me time to think, to hear all
Valeria's POV The hardwood floors gleamed under the soft lighting, and the furniture looked sleek and expensive. A large painting hung above the couch while a glass coffee table sat neatly in front of it.The place looked like something out of an interior design magazine.Interesting.She shouldn’
Valeria's POV Then my phone rang.It was an unknown number and from past experience, my stomach clenched but I answered anyway.“Hello?”“Ms Daelmont,” Officer Roger's voice came through the line. “I trust you got home safely. I’m calling with an update concerning last night's incident.”My breath
Valeria’s POVThe sound of my phone ringing cut through the moment like a blade.The sharp vibration jolted me back into my body, back into reality, back into the weight of everything Luka had done to me over the years. I gasped, panic surging through me, and shoved him away with all the strength I







