Broken Promises, A Vengeful Heart Returns

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iskey sloshed, a golden poison. I tilted my head back and drank, the raw alcohol scoring a f

ay. I drank anot

into a grotesque collage. Their laughter echoed in my ears, loud and jarr

bled, forcing my way

ollapsed in front of the toilet, violent waves of sickness racking my frame.

rk, crimson swirl i

splashing cold water on my face, trying to clear my head. M

n. He leaned against the doorframe, arms cros

ce laced with contempt. "Your father would be proud o

ea. "Why are you doing this?" I whispered, my voice rag

about justice." He took a step closer, his shadow falling over me. "Besides, Kendal doesn' t like

ds, the public humiliation, the slow, agonizing destruction of m

said he saw people not as human beings, but as assets or obstacles. I had defended him then, blinded by my infatuation. No

my voice breaking. "A single second where yo

s a winter sky. "You were a job, Anya. A means to

ken my love, my body, my family' s future, and my

d into weeks, the noose around my family tightened. I saw less and less of my father. He was

sat in his wheelchair by the fire, looking ol

low rasp. "This is because of his enga

yes. I just nodded, st

he said, his voice filled with a wea

ut of the academy, chained me to a life I never wanted. He

red, my voice thick with

voice firm. "He walks in the light. We l

the man who walked in the light, was the c

rand staircase. After that night, I avoided the family estate, choosing instead to live

Kendal at some political function, the perfect power couple

d me with a proposal to invest in a new robotic delivery system for hotels and restaur

robots glided silently between tables, delivering drinks and food with fl

on, shaking his hand. "Le

licker of something I hadn'

her, and another. My heart began to pound. Every major news outlet in the city

Trafficking Ring. Source Claims Anya

ungs. This wasn't just an attack on our business. This was an attack on me.