Chapter one hundred and eighty three

Cleopatra’s gaze lifted, her eyes filled with pain. “I’ve been living in a nightmare, Elena. My father’s been using me to get what he wants, and I’ve had no choice but to comply. But it’s not just me…it’s my mother too. He’s been using her as a pawn in his game, and I don’t know how much longer I can keep going.”

Elena’s heart went out to the other woman. She could see the genuine anguish in Cleopatra’s eyes, the deep-seated fear. “Why are you telling me this?” Elena asked, her voice soft.

Cleopatra’s shoulders slumped. “Because I need your help, Elena. I need your help to stop my father, to free my mother. And I need your forgiveness…for what I did to you and Rhys.”

As Cleopatra spoke, Elena could feel the weight of her words. She knew that Cleopatra was telling the truth, that she was trapped in a web of her father’s making. And in that moment, Elena knew that she had to help Cleopatra. She had to find a way to free her from her father’s grasp, to give her the chance to start anew.