Chapter 99. Raw Pain

There’s a feeling that comes right after the consequences of an action hit. A sharp, crushing regret. The kind that screams ‘had I known’. Calla felt it flooding her now, it was raw and suffocating, as Rico’s hand tightened around her throat.

She struggled to stay conscious, her vision blurring at the edges. Her fingers clawed at his wrist, nails scraping uselessly against his skin as she tried to peel him away.

Her chest burned, lungs begging for air that wouldn’t come, panic crashing into her harder with every second.

Rico didn’t look angry. That was the worst part. His face was calm, as if her fear meant nothing at all, as if her body trembling beneath his grip was just another inconvenience.

Calla’s legs weakened, her strength slipping fast, and in that moment she knew regret was useless now. Whatever choice she’d made had already led her here—pressed against the door, fighting for breath, staring into the eyes of a man who had decided she no longer matte