Valentina collapsed against the polished mahogany floor, her forehead pressed against the wood as she wept.
The sight of Lily and Diana, her precious, innocent girls, kissing the hands of her tormentor had severed something vital in her psyche. She was no longer fighting for her dignity; she was fighting for the remnants of her bloodline.
"Rex, please..." she croaked, her voice wet with blood and desperation. "I'll do it..."
"I'll give you everything... I will be whatever you want."
"I will let you destroy me, piece by piece, night after night, until there is nothing left of me but a husk."
"But please... spare them... Leave Lily, leave Diana, leave Helena and Elizabeth alone."
"Let them live their lives... Let them have their innocence!"
"Take all my suffering, all my pain, all my humiliation, but please... just leave them out of this."
