Page 31 of The Colour of Revenge

Carina:I do

Carina:I trust him. Is that silly?

Doc M:Not if he hasn’t given you a reason not to. Trust is earned, but so is distrust. Consider this: What evidence supports your trust in him? What evidence contradicts it? Your instincts deserve respect.

She always knows what to say to stop me spiralling.

Carina:So, you don’t think it was crazy?

Doc M:Who cares if it was? You’re being brave and that’s what’s important.

Carina:I miss you.

Doc M:I miss our conversations too. Sending strength your way. I’m incredibly proud of how far you’ve come.

A shiver runs through me, unbidden. I feel that sensation of being watched for a fleeting moment. My breath hitches, and my gaze flicks toward the window.

Nothing.

No one.

I shake it off. No one knows where I am. I'm safe here.

Butsafetydoesn't make my heart race, and it doesn't send that electric thrill through my veins. Revenge does.

And I want to savour every second of it.

I don't just want Robert dead. I want him to know, tofeelthe inevitability of his destruction. I want to see the moment realisation dawn in his eyes—that split-second of panic when he understands that there's no escape, bargaining, or mercy.

And when the end comes, when the last breath leaves his body, and his gaze turns vacant?

I'll smile.

Smug. Satisfied.

Certain that every second of this was worth it.

8

She’s My Perfect Match

Hypothetical Question: If you had to swap bodies with someone for a week, who would suffer the most—you or them?

Nate

Queen Carina:What would I use for research if I needed to distort my voice?

Daddy Death:Oh, I see, Your Majesty.Research.I like it.

Queen Carina:Of course. You're the expert here.

Declan'smuffledsobssnapme out of the haze Carina's messages always pull me into.

She's... distracting.

Even now, I'm balancing the rush of our conversation with the task at hand—a man tied to a chair in my murder room shouldn't be this easy to ignore, but Carina has a way of making everything else seemtrivial.

How she asks for advice—casual, yet deliberate—reminds me of myself when I first started. But there's something different about her. A methodical edge. A precision that mirrors my own. Every question she asks peels back another layer of who she is, another reason why wefit.