Chapter 40

ANNA

Orlando is convinced that there's more to my feelings towards Dante than just hatred, but I know better - or so I thought. Despite my intense loathing towards him for what he did to my family and to me, I have no desire to seek revenge. It might sound foolish to some, but there's a small part of me that can't help but feel some kind of affection for him.

As I adjust my position on the cold, hard floor to alleviate the numbness in my backside, I try to recall how long I've been trapped in this hellhole. At first, I tried to keep track of the days by marking the sunrises and sunsets from the small window in my cell, but it quickly became a futile exercise. It's been so long that I've lost count.

Orlando has made it his personal mission to ensure that every moment of my captivity is filled with agony. But when I say agony, I'm not referring to physical pain - it's the psychological and emotional pain that's eating away at me. It's been over two months since my abduction, and Orlando