Chapter 4

Zara and I went back to her room.

Her room was small and dark. Compared to Lila's princess suite, it was more like a storage closet.

Zara closed the door and finally let go of my hand. She slumped against the door, looking like a deflated balloon, gasping for air.

"Yvonne, am I really that useless?" she asked, her voice trembling with tears. "I was so scared now."

I handed her a glass of water and said, "You were really brave."

That was the truth. For someone who'd been suppressed for twenty years, saying those words took everything she had.