Chapter 80

VALERIA’S POV I took a deep breath as I stepped into the basement. The familiar scent of damp stone and dust surrounded me, wrapping around me like an old, tattered blanket. My fingers trailed along the rough walls as I moved forward, my heart tightening in my chest. This was my place. My sanctuary. The one place where I had allowed myself to break. I didn’t want anyone here. Not Yuvonne, not Dimitri, no one. This was where I had buried my fears, my sorrow, my silent pleas to the Moon Goddess. The place where I had spent nights questioning if this was truly what my life was meant to be. Yuvonne stood beside me, her sharp green eyes scanning the space, as if trying to understand what it had meant to me. “I have a feeling that this is where you’ll be able to meditate properly,” she murmured, almost as if speaking to herself. I turned to her, swallowing the lump in my throat. “Why?” My voice came out rough, choked with emotions I hadn’t expected to surface. She hesitated, studying me with