UNKNOWN POV

The room was dimly lit, the only source of light filtering in through the tall stained-glass windows. The silence was heavy, dense with failure, disappointment, and barely restrained rage.

I stood above her, belt clenched in my gloved hand, knuckles white from the force of my grip. She knelt at my feet, sobbing, the tears streaking her flawless face as though they could earn her mercy.

They wouldn’t.

“Please,” she cried, voice cracking. “Please, I tried...he wasn’t ...