Page 157

She was the same woman who had knocked on my stall door earlier—I recognized her voice.

“Wha… what ?” I stammered, clutching the counter behind me, pressing the phone and note tightly to my chest.

She pushed off the wall and walked toward me with unsettling calm, “Antonio is using your children to lure you in,” she said.

I tensed, holding my breath as she snatched the note from my hand before I could react.

“Hey !” I snapped, lunging to get it back. She dodged me effortlessly, scanning the words. “Give it back!” I shouted, stumbling in my rush.

I braced for impact, but a firm grip caught my arm and steadied me. I looked up into eyes so dark it was nearly impossible to tell where the pupils ended.

She handed the paper back with a sigh, then crossed her arms.

“He won’t send the other three boys home,” she said, as if reciting a weather report. “Best-case scenario, he turns them into soldiers—forces them to fight against their own family. The twins are still young. Easy to mold. As for the eldest, he’ll use drugs to brainwash him. Worst case ?” She met my gaze. “He kills them in front of you. To punish you.”

Her voice was calm. Measured. Emotionless.

I grimaced, trying to hold it together. But it was useless. I lurched back to the toilet and vomited again.

Cool fingers lifted my hair, and I sighed as fresh air brushed my neck.

“I’m sorry to be so blunt, Selina,” she said gently as I sobbed, “but you need to understand the gravity of this situation.”

“Who… who are you ?” I whispered, sniffling like a child while she helped me sit again.

She handed me a tissue and knelt in front of me, resting her hands on my trembling knees, “let’s just say… I want to be your friend,” she said softly, her eyes steady beneath the brim of her cap.

“Why ?” I asked.

She hesitated, staring at the ground for a moment before looking up again. “A long time ago, a woman saved my life. At first, I thought I was just lucky. But later, I realized it wasn’t random. It was so I could save others in return. That’s what I promised her. That’s what I’ve sworn to do until my last breath.”

There was no doubt in her eyes. No hesitation in her voice. And I didn’t need anything more to know she was telling the truth.

Because I recognized that look—the one I had seen in my own reflection, every time I swore I’d survive just one more day for Rafael.

“I know it’s a trap,” I whispered, shaking my head, “but… I have no choice. I know Antonio won’t harm Rafael, but the twins and Mikhail… they’re not safe as long as they’re with him.”

I exhaled sharply. “And we have no other leads. My husband and his brothers nearly died…”

“I know,” she said, watching me carefully. “And it doesn’t matter if it’s a trap. If you want to go, then you’ll go, Selina.”

A chill ran through me. It felt like I was standing before something immovable. Something unstoppable. And for some reason, I trusted her.

“We’re going to save your sons, Selina,” she said calmly. “And we’re going to end that son of a bitch Antonio. Together.”

She held out her hand.

I pressed my lips together, studying her.

She stood like stone. Unflinching. Like nothing could bring her down. I took her hand and rose to my feet.

Nothing would bring me down either.

Not until I’d saved my sons.

Not until I’d seen Antonio dead.

Chapter forty-one