Davian.
The moment Vanessa staggered into my room that night, bruised and trembling, my heart lurched violently in my chest.
For a split second, I couldn't breathe.
Every horrible possibility crashed into my mind at once. An ambush. An assassination attempt. Poison. Something unspeakable. Something irreversible. My body moved before my thoughts caught up, I was already crossing the room, already gripping her shoulders, my eyes scanning her frantically as panic clawed its way up my throat.
"Vanessa," I breathed, my voice rough, unsteady. "What happened to you?"
She looked so small standing there, her usual elegance dulled by pain, her skin marred with ugly bruises that made my vision blur with rage. My hands shook as I guided her to sit, my chest burning with the terrifying thought that I might have almost lost her.
Then she spoke.
She told me it was Maria.
The moment her words sank in, something inside me snapped.
