151. TRYING TO ESCAPE

KATERINA

Smoke filled the room, thick and suffocating, the heat growing unbearable. My throat burned with every breath, and my chest felt like it was about to collapse from the pressure. I could hear Vincent struggling, his body tense beside me as he worked to cut through the ropes around his wrists. The flames crept closer, inching toward us, consuming everything in their path.

"I'll get it. I'll get it, firecracker. We will get out of here." He swore while he kept struggling to loosen himself.

I felt the tears sliding down my cheeks, but it wasn’t the smoke that made me choke this time. I thought about how close we’d been to ending all of this madness, to finally being free. But now, trapped and helpless, every second felt like an eternity ticking down to an end I wasn’t ready to face. Panic clawed at me, making my heart race wildly as I pulled against the ropes that bound my wrists, desperation filling every fiber of my being.

Finally, with one last, fierce yank, Vincent broke free