The next day came slowly, dragging itself like a wounded animal. I barely slept, the thin layer of straw beneath me doing nothing to cushion the cold, hard floor. My body ached, every muscle stiff from lying in one position too long. The air was thick, as if the filth itself had weight, pressing down on me with every breath. My mind kept wandering to Jeffrey and the kids. Were they safe? Could Jeffrey prove my innocence before it was too late?
The faint sound of footsteps stirred me from my thoughts. It was a sound I had learned to fear, growing louder as it neared my cell.
When the door creaked open, two guards stood there, both of them smirking like they knew something I didn’t. The taller one cracked his knuckles, an ugly sound in the silence of the dungeon.
“Get up,” he ordered, hi
