جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 14

Gianna.I woke up choking on air, and it felt like life was leaving me.My chest heaved violently, ribs protesting with every breath I dragged in, but my body… my body refused to move. It felt like I had been nailed to the ground, like every nerve had been beaten into submission.For a moment, I didn’t even remember where I was, then the pain came.It didn’t creep in gently. It slammed into me like a wave, sharp, burning, merciless. My back felt like it had been torn open, my skin raw, every inch of me screaming.A broken sound escaped my lips, that was when I realized I was on the floor. Right where Stefano had left me.My lashes fluttered weakly as I turned my head slightly, my cheek scraping against the cold tiles. The memory came back in flashes, whips cutting through my skin, the sting, the humiliation, his voice… deep, controlled, terrifying.A sob caught in my throat. I forced my eyes downward, and that was the worst mistake I could have made. My body… it was red and bruised wi

Gianna.I was smiling at her not because I was happy… no.It was because I had finally learned how to hide what I felt.Luciana stood in front of me, the basket of herbs hanging loosely from her hand, but she wasn’t moving anymore. Not a single step.Her eyes… That was where it started… fear.I could see it vividly no matter how hard she tried to make it seem normal. She knew what was coming for her… she really knew.She knew something had changed in me. I wasn’t the same girl she talked down to or raised her hand to hit.“You know… Luciana,” I repeated softly, tilting my head just a little, letting the smile linger on my lips, “you’ve never really told me how your daughter died.”She was silent while she stared at me, her lips and hands trembling evenly.Her fingers tightened around the basket, the herbs rustling faintly. For a second, I thought she wouldn’t answer.Then her lips parted… But before a single word could leave them, the gates creaked open.Luciana’s head snapped toward