Svetlana hurried down the hallway, her breath ragged and her chest burning with barely contained fury. The conversation with Mirella had left her seething with a sense of injustice she couldn’t shake. How could someone be so cruel? So indifferent to her suffering? Every word had been a lash against her dignity, as if her own will held no value in the world she had been dragged into against her own.

The echo of her footsteps rang against the cold marble floor, amplifying the urgency with which she wanted to escape it all. But before she could get any farther, a steel grip clamped around her arm, yanking her back.

Giulia.

With one swift pull, the woman forced her to turn and face her directly.

“If I were you, I’d learn some respect,” she spat, her gaze sharp, her voice low but laced with menace. “Do you even know who you just spoke to?”

Svetlana’s heart was pounding, but her pride refused to waver. She jerked her arm free with a sudden motion and lifted her chin, defiance flashing in he