Chapter 109

VICTOR “Papa…” The word was a whisper at first, fragile even and trembling. And I know this voice—Valentina, my daughter. “Papa, please…” Then it came again, this time louder, more desperate. “Val?” I looked around in the darkness. The darkness was suffocating, pressing on my soul too hard. It's a place so unfamiliar. “Papa…” Her voice echoed within me again, and finally, I saw her. My little girl. But she wasn’t standing in sunlight with that stubborn smile she always carried—no. She was on her knees, silver chains clamped around her wrists, her hair tangled and damp with tears. “Papa…” Her hands reached for me; her face was pale, lips trembling. Her eyes—they looked deadened, the spark in them dimming. I moved toward her, but the ground beneath me cracked and crumbled away, pulling me back into the abyss. I fought to reach her, my arms straining—but the more I tried, the farther she slipped away. “Papa!” Her scream tore through me. “Don’t let him take me again—” “VAL!” And then… noth