Chapter 26

• Clara didn’t sleep that night. Not even for a minute. How could she? Every time she tried to close her eyes, Ricardo’s voice crept into her mind, cold and unyielding, repeating the same awful words over and over: "Then you will die with whichever side loses."* The sentence echoed like a drumbeat, loud and relentless, keeping her wide awake. She lay in the huge bed, staring up at the ceiling of her room in the Costa estate, the soft silk sheets tangled around her legs. The darkness pressed in, heavy and suffocating, matching the weight of her thoughts.
• There was no way out. That was the truth she couldn’t escape. No safe option, no easy path to follow. If she played by their rules—Ricardo’s and Dante’s—she’d just be a pawn, a piece they moved around their dangerous game board. She’d be stuck between two men who didn’t trust each other, caught in the middle of their power struggles, unable to control her own fate. But if she rebelled, if she tried to fight back against them, she’d paint a target on her back. They’d see her as a threat, and threats didn’t last long in this world.
• And if she ran… Clara’s mind flickered to that idea for a moment, imagining herself slipping out into the night, disappearing far from the estate and all its shadows. But she shook her head, pushing the thought away. No. Running wasn’t an option anymore. She’d tried to imagine it before—fleeing, hiding, starting over—but she knew better now. They’d find her. Ricardo, with his endless reach, or Dante, with his sharp instincts—they’d track her down no matter where she went. Running would only delay the inevitable.