Chapter 255

Evelyn PoV “One, two, three, four…. Fifty, sixty-nine, a hundred…. No, no, no…” I breathed. I had stopped counting how many lives I had taken. At first, I would wave it off with justifications such as "they're all enemies, threats to my survival", or "I'm doing what I had to, to stay alive." But the excuses had become stale. Now, in the stark silence of my cell, their faces haunted me. There was the young warrior who had drawn his blade just as I struck him down. His eyes had been filled with terror, pleading, as though he had something to live for. I hadn't hesitated. There was the woman with that desperate look in her eyes, hands bloody and reaching for my clothes in an appeal for mercy. I had felt a flicker of hesitation that night. But Odessa had been watching, satisfaction shining in her golden eyes. I couldn't allow weakness. So, I had done what was expected of me. With each kill, I felt the distance between me and who I used to be. I needed to escape. If I lingered here for too