Page 127 of No One’s Daughter

A choked sound tore from my throat.

The room didn’t react.

No gasps.

No outrage.

Nothing.

Just silence.

Valerius stepped over her like she was nothing more than discarded fabric and moved to the next.

“No—stop—please. I’ll do anything—” My voice broke, panic clawing its way up my chest as I struggled against the hands holding me. “Just stop!”

He didn’t even acknowledge me.

Another mask.

Another face revealed.

Another brief flicker of hope.

Not her.

And again.

Each time, the same cruel rhythm.

Reveal.

Pause.

Discard.

My entire body trembled, there was only one left.

It had to be Claire.

“Please,” I screamed, my voice raw now, tearing at my throat. “Please, I’ll do whatever you want—just stop!”

That finally made him pause.

He turned his head slightly, just enough that I knew he’d heard me.

But he still smiled.

“What I want,” he murmured, almost gently. “Is you… broken.”

My breath hitched.

My heart pounded.

And then, he stepped toward the last one.

Everything inside me went cold.

No.