Joanna stared out the window. The city lights blurred past, glowing like distant stars. For so long, she had been a shadow in her own life, overlooked, discarded. Now, for the first time, she saw a path forward—one that demanded not just survival, but defiance.
She turned back to him, her voice steady. “What do you want in return? No one helps without reason.”
He met her gaze. “A pact. We strike together. You get your freedom, your dignity, your child’s safety. I get what I’ve always wanted—Stormclaw brought to its knees.”
The weight of his words filled the car, heavy and dangerous. Joanna understood perfectly well what this meant: aligning herself with him would mean war.
Her hand pressed against her belly again, feeling a reassuring kick. She thought of Carson’s cold voice, Alice’s false tears, Amy’s disdain.
She lifted her chin, eyes gleaming with determination. “Then we have a deal.”
A faint smile ghosted across his lips. He extended his hand, and after a moment’s hesitation, Joanna placed hers in his.
The pact was sealed.
Outside, the night stretched endlessly ahead. For Joanna, it was no longer a void—it was a battlefield waiting to be claimed.
And this time, she would not fight alone.