CHAPTER 94
Katya's POV
The kettle hissed. The knife clinked against the cutting board. Miss Stella hummed an old song under her breath as she diced herbs beside me.
Everything looked normal.
But nothing felt normal.
I hadn't slept a second since leaving the elevator. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw metal fingers glinting under the elevator light, heard the way Adelasia said remembering like it was a knife pressed against my throat.
I thought helping Miss Stella with dinner would ground me — peel potatoes, stir sauces, focus on something simple.
But now, standing in the kitchen for hours, I could barely keep my hands steady as I peeled vegetables.
Time didn't feel real anymore. The kitchen should've been a safe space — warm light, simmering pots, Miss Stella's calm singing voice. But every sound scraped at my nerves, every movement made me flinch.
My skin prickled — like eyes were on me. And they were.
