BONUS CHAPTER

LIMA’S POV

As the door clicked shut behind Arya, Lima lay still, staring up at the ceiling. The room felt unnervingly quiet, the silence pressing down on her like a weight. She wasn’t used to this—a silence that wasn’t laced with hidden threats or masked intentions.

Kindness, she thought bitterly. What am I supposed to do with that?

It was easier to deal with anger, with betrayal. Those were things she knew, things she could fight against or manipulate. But kindness? That was dangerous in a way she wasn’t prepared for. It slipped under her defenses, making her feel things she wasn’t ready to face.

Why did she help me? Lima’s mind raced, trying to make sense of Arya’s actions. She wasn’t naïve enough to believe it was out of pure goodness. People didn’t just do things like that, not in her world. There had to be a catch, something she was missing.

But even as she tried to convince herself of this, a small voice inside her whispered otherwise. Arya’s kindness had been genui