Still wearing a ring.
My jaw tightens as I register an elegant insignia engraved into the metal.
“That’s my family insignia.”
Valeria’s voice cuts through the silence. Her voice is steady and unshaken.
“The Petrov family,” she continues. “Whoever this was…is a member of my family.”
My grip on the edge of the box tightens.
Behind me, I can feel the shift in the room—my brothers going still, calculating, already thinking ten steps ahead.
This isn’t just a threat.
This is a message.
And it was delivered right to my door.
Before I can react, Valeria moves.
She snatches something from inside the box.
A folded piece of paper.
“Valeria—” I start, but she’s already opening it.
Her eyes scan the words quickly.
Then she reads it aloud.
“Valeria, you can hide behind the Rusnak name if you wish….”
Her voice doesn’t shake.
“But it will not save you.”
Silence presses in tighter.
“Anton is coming.”
Something cold settles in my chest.
“And when he finds you….”
Her fingers tighten slightly around the paper.
“You will die.”
Chapter 9 – Valeria
My wedding night feels nothing like I imagined.
There’s no celebration. No laughter. No quiet, giddy anticipation of what comes next.
Just silence.
Heavy. Suffocating.
