Page 141 of Forbidden Forget-Me-Not

He never made me feel ashamed of my life. At least he hadn’t until today. He knew this was coming. He knew and kept it from me, because I was nothing more than a princess who needed protection.

I wasn’t fragile. I could handle the hard stuff.

But right now, I was tired, furious, and terrified for Goran in a way I couldn’t admit out loud.

“I’m going to see him,” I said, unsure who I was trying to convince.

“Sit down.” Her voice sharpened. “Before you make this worse for both of us.”

My pulse pounded in my throat. I took a step forward.

She stood too, squaring her shoulders like she was waiting for a reason.

The air grew thick between us. The kind of tension that came right before a fight broke out. My body shifted automatically. Feet planted, weight grounded, balanced. Years of training to defend myself. Years of competing and pushing my body harder than most people thought possible. Years of learning how to control adrenaline and anger narrowed into this moment.

I wasn’t looking for a fight. But I wasn’t afraid of one either.

“There’s something you need to learn in a place like this. You don’t make the rules. The strongest survive, and the rest are fed on. Remember that if they toss you in the state pen.”

She stepped closer.

“Don’t.”

She smirked.

My hand curled.

Heavy boots echoed as they marched closer.

The woman quickly returned to the bench and sat down.

“Lucky girl,” she murmured, and a chill raced down my spine.

“Kaylani Mikhailov,” a male voice barked.

Relief flooded my system so fast it made my vision blur. Not because hearing my name from an officer was good. But because it was movement. Something was finally happening.

I turned toward the bars. The officer was already there. Tall. Bored. Keys in hand. He didn’t bother looking at me.

“Turn around.”

“Why?”

“I said, turn around,” the officer ordered.

My heart sped up as I complied with his demands.

“Step back and put your hands through the bars.”

Metal cuffs were slapped around my wrists, none too gently.

“Step forward.”

I was suddenly aware of how helpless people probably felt living inside walls like these for years at a time.

He opened the cell.

“Come with me.”