Ayla’s POVThe moment my shoes hit the damp grass, my instincts scream at me to turn back. The morning air is thick with mists , dissolving into the towering, shadowy wall of ancient pine trees. The forest looks ominous, dark, and impenetrable — a place where sunlight barely touches the forest floors.I have to try. I have to. If I stay here, Lucian will break me until there’s absolutely nothing left of me.I break into a swift jog, picking up my pace toward the dark shelters of the trees. Every split second spent in the open feels like an eternity, as if dozens of unseen eyes are watching me from the high windows of the mansion.I persist, taking sharp, calculated steps until the shadow of the canopy swallows me whole.The temperature in the woods drops instantly. The smell of pine and damp earth fills the air, the ground crisscrossed with slippery roots, thick patches of thorns and dense underbrush that tears at the hem of my dress as I push deeper.My strides increase, the sun fil
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