ELISE'S POV I drifted through vivid dreams in my sleep. Suddenly, my body became filled with warmth and my nerves felt alive with a kind of sensation I hadn't felt in a long time. I felt a touch against my skin. The touch was gentle and felt sweet, tracing patterns across my skin. I sighed softly,
GINA'S POV I laid still in bed as I felt Jackson slip away from bed. still in the bed. My eyes remained closed, but I wasn’t asleep. I could hear his quiet movements, the soft rustle of clothes as he dressed. Something wasn’t right. His touch had been distant tonight. His mind was somewhere far awa
FERRIS' POV I sat in my study, seated in front of an analyst I had invited. I leaned back in my chair, watching as he went over Jackson's documents for the hundredth time. I invited him to help me prove that Jackson's documents were fake. "From what I've analyzed, Your Majesty," the analyst said,
HELEN'S POV I hurried down the palace hallway, heading for Gina's chambers. My heart raced in my chest as I moved. I was a little scared. I knew how late I was. If there was anything Gina hated, it was being late whenever she called. It was never a good thing with her. The very thought of her icy s
HELEN'S POV I stood outside Gina’s door. My heart was pounding so loudly that I was sure she could hear it through the wood. I knew what was coming. There was no escaping it now. I had failed her, and Gina wasn’t the type to let failure slide—not without consequences. Taking a deep breath, I knock
ELISE'S POV I keep my back pressed against the rough stone wall, mobing along the small ledge that's over the darkness down. My heart hammers in my chest as I stare at how tall the height of the cliff is. Below me, the world seems to fall away into nothingness. I close my eyes, forcing myself not
ELISE'S POV The water was cold—colder than I could have imagined. It moved into every part of me, numbing my skin, my muscles, my bones, until it felt like I was nothing more than a block of ice. The shock of hitting the water had knocked the breath out of me, and now, as I sank deeper and deeper,
FERRIS' POV I paced back and forth in my study, letting my thoughts get the best of me. I couldn't get her out of my head—Elise. I couldn't stop thinking about that night. Ever since then, I've been thinking about what could have gone wrong for her to come see me by that time of the night. I had,
ELISE'S POV The cell was... different this time After the attack I had, Ferris ensured that I was taken to a different cell. This one was much better. It wasn’t as dark or damp as my previous one, and the bedding was slightly softer. It also had less guards surrounding the place which made eve
GINA'S POV I stood by the back laundry. My heart still raced, though I tried to calm it. My moment with Ferris replayed in my mind—his words, his touch, the way his eyes seemed to see straight through me. For so long, I’d wanted to be close to him. I’d dreamed of it, schemed for it. He was one of
FERRIS' POV I sat in my study, deep in thought. My fingers tapped rhythmically on the desk. My mind churnintwistwd with the rumors I'd just heard. A war. Gina. Planning to avenge Jackson? If there was truth to this, it couldn’t be ignored. But Gina wasn’t the type to make things easy. No, this req
FERRIS' POV I leaned back in my chair in my office, staring at the table while my mind raced with a thousand thoughts. Every thought of mine went back to Elise. I envisioned the sight of her locked away in that cold miserable cell. She was pregnant, vulnerable, and despite my every effort to protec
ELISE'S POV I sat in the corner of my room with my knees drawn to my chest, trying to suppress the fear inside me. The encounter with Gina still played on a loop in my mind. I remembered how angry she was. Was she really not behindJackson's poisoning? Was she taunting me? Or was I truly losing my
ELISE'S POV The cell was uncomfortable. No amount of pacing or shifting on the wooden bench could make the suffocating air in here feel better. The walls felt like they were closing in on me. My fingers trembled as I placed a hand over my belly. "I promise," I whispered to the life growing within
FERRIS' POV Eden sat across from me in my study, resting his hands on the table. His newly acquired Gamma badge gleamed on his chest. Ever since Barley decided to act a fool, I replaced him with Eden as Gamma and the head of my security. We discussed who the perpetrator might be and why they want
ELISE'S POV The walls of the cell were cold as I leaned against it. I had been here before, but this time it felt heavier. More suffocating. Sitting on the hard bench, I leaned my head back against the rough stone and closed my eyes. I couldn't believe I was in here, in trouble again and it's all
GINA'S POV I didn’t trust Alexandra. Not for a second. Sure, I knew she wanted to help me but I was conniving enough to know a snake when I saw one. When she appeared at my door that morning with her smile as sweet as honey and her tone dripping with kindness, I knew she wanted something. Women l