Eliana Bennett's chest tightened with a cold dread that made her stomach twist. She stood frozen, trembling from head to toe, tears gathering in her wide eyes before slipping down her soft warm cheeks.
Rafael Vexley's words echoed in her mind, sharp and cruel: "The truth is whatever I say it is."
Her heart pounded so hard it hurt, like a bird trapped in a tiny cage, thrashing to get free. Deep down, she knew he wasn't wrong. In his world—the world of the rich and untouchable—truth was just another thing they could bend and twist to fit their stories. Her dreams, worn thin like the soles of her sandals, meant nothing here. She was just another thread in the grand fabric he controlled, and he could snip her away whenever he felt like it.
