---- "Ms. Nadia," she said kindly, ''do your parents and mate support your decision?" Ismiled faintly. "They all respect my choices." Her eyes glowed with admiration. "You're lucky," she said. "Your clan must love you deeply... to want you preserved like this, forever untouched, forever remembered." For a moment... I almost believed her. I almost believed I was loved. Ismiled wider. "Who doesn't love their own clan?" After final confirmation, I left the lab and returned to my den. But the moment I stepped inside, I stopped cold. My belongings were piled in the center of the living room- ---- Like trash waiting to be thrown out. At the heart of the chaos stood Karen-Jane's childhood nanny. She had always despised me. She smiled when she saw me. It didn't reach her eyes. "Miss Nadia," she said sweetly, "Jane is being discharged today. Your mate, Gary, asked me to prepare a recovery room for her." She pointed toward the master bedroom. "T decided that's the best place. It's sunny. Spacious. Quiet. Perfect for her healing." Then she turned back to the guards. "There's no other room available, so we've cleared out the storage basement for you." I looked at her, completely calm. "All right," I said. She blinked, caught off guard. She had expected ---- resistance-maybe even rage. But I simply turned and walked to the basement without a word. Behind me, I heard her sneer. "Looks like Miss Nadia finally knows her place." "Tf she'd behaved like this earlier, maybe the Master and Madam wouldn't have hated her so much." The storage room stank of mold. It was crammed with broken furniture, dusty boxes, and forgotten junk. Someone had shoved a narrow cot into the corner - half of it covered in more clutter. Only the other half was barely usable. I didn't bother cleaning. I lay down. The mattress was lumpy and damp, but I was too tired to care.