Chapter 159. Colliding Hearts

Xerina’s POV

I shook my head, backing away from her, my breath coming out in ragged gasps. “You’re lying. This isn’t real.” My voice was barely above a whisper, trembling with desperation, but I forced the words out, needing them to be true. “You’re lying!”

Valeria’s smile twisted into something darker, more malicious, her eyes narrowing as she stepped closer. Her presence loomed over me, oppressive and suffocating. “You think you know yourself, Naya?” she spat, her voice venomous. “You think you’re innocent in all this?”

“Don’t call me that!”

Her hand shot out, fingers like iron claws wrapping around my wrist, and she yanked me forward with such force that I stumbled, nearly losing my balance. I tried to pull away, but her grip was unrelenting.

“Why? That hurts your little heart, huh? You want to see more?” she snarled, her lips curling into a cruel smile. “Then see.”

And with that, everything around us blurred. The grand ballroom faded, t