AUTHOR POV

Tessa’s lungs burned as she sprinted through the underbrush, the fake passports and her aunt’s forged documents clutched tight in her trembling hand.

Moonlight pierced through ragged clouds, guiding her down the narrow dirt road that led away from the Lorenzo mansion. Behind her, the faint glow of the estate’s security lights faded; ahead lay only darkness—and hope.

Moments earlier, she had lured Pedro into a late-night conversation in his study, dropping questions about family loyalty until he, in his drunken arrogance, spilled the location of Aunt Norah’s prison: an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Los Robles. She’d thanked him with a kiss and slipped away once...