The car raced through the deserted streets. Rain slicked the asphalt and blurred the neon signs above. Aria gripped the seat, trying to calm her thoughts.
Valentina's eyes remained fixed on the road. "We don't have much time. They'll track us soon."
Aria swallowed hard. "Who are they really?"
Valentina's jaw tightened. "The same people who paid Dante to choose who survives. And now they want you dead."
Her heart skipped a beat. Dante… the man who claimed to protect her, might have been forced to make deadly choices.
"Why help me?" Aria demanded. "Why not leave me to him?"
Valentina's eyes softened for the briefest moment. "Because your mother trusted me. And she believed in your strength."
The streets turned sharply, and headlights cut across the darkness. Figures appeared from the shadows—motorbikes, their riders masked.
Aria's pulse raced. "They found us."
Valentina's hands gripped the wheel. "I warned you. But now, you must learn to fight."
Gunfire erupted around them. Aria ducked instinctively, heart hammering. Bullets shattered the rain-slicked pavement.
"This is just the beginning," Valentina said, firing back from the passenger seat. "If you want to survive, you need to trust no one but yourself."
Aria clenched her jaw. For the first time, she realized that her survival was no longer dependent on Dante's world, or anyone's protection. It was her fight.
As the car veered into an alley and disappeared into darkness, Aria felt a strange clarity. She wasn't just running. She was beginning to strategize.
And for the first time, she felt ready to fight back.