The room was cramped, dirty, and smelled faintly of sweat, bleach, and old cigarettes. The metal bench against the wall was freezing cold, yet Catalina had been sitting there for hours, clutching her designer silk dress around herself.

She had not slept.

Every sound made her flinch.

Every passing officer made her look up hopefully, only to feel fresh disappointment when they walked past without stopping.

Why had nobody come yet?

Why had her father not pulled some strings already?

She was a Windsor.

This was not supposed to happen to people like her.

"Hey, princess."

Catalina slowly looked up.

A woman sprawled across the opposite bench was blowing bubbles with pink gum while openly staring at her ruined dress.

"You got any cash on you?"

Catalina blinked in disbelief.

"What?"

The woman rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Money. Rich girls always hide emergency cash somewhere." Her gaze swept over Catalina lazily. "Bra. Shoes. You people are paranoid."

Catalina’s lip curled immediately.

"Don’t talk to me."

A loud snort came from the corner.

Another inmate, a middle-aged woman arrested for shoplifting, laughed openly.

"Oh, this one definitely thinks she’s royalty." She leaned forward with amusement sparkling in her eyes. "So what are you in for, sweetheart? Murder? Drug cartel? Tax fraud on daddy’s yacht?"

The cell erupted with laughter.

Catalina’s stomach twisted violently.

The woman with the gum tilted her head curiously.

"So seriously," she asked, "what’d you do?"

Catalina stared at the floor in silence, ignoring her. As if refusing to answer, somehow made this entire situation less real.

Then another woman stood up from the far side of the cell.

She was tall, broad-shouldered, and had a dagger tattoo running along the side of her neck.

Catalina instantly stiffened.

The woman walked closer slowly, until she stood directly in front of her.

Catalina squeezed her eyes shut for a second, bracing herself... 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

But instead of hitting her, the woman reached down and rubbed the fabric of Catalina’s sleeve between her fingers.

"Hold on," she muttered thoughtfully. "Is this real silk?"

Catalina opened one eye cautiously.

"...Yes."

The woman’s eyes widened.

"I knew it!" she shouted over her shoulder. "I told you it was real!"

Then the woman looked back at her.

"Take it off," she said casually. "I’m keeping it."

Catalina stared at her in horror.

"Are you insane?"

"You heard me, princess."

Catalina stood up abruptly. "Stay away from me, you filthy animal."

The atmosphere changed instantly.

The woman’s face darkened. "What did you just call me?"

Catalina lifted her chin shakily despite the fear crawling up her spine.

"Do you know who I am? I could..."

Before she could finish the sentence, the woman suddenly grabbed the front of her dress and yanked her forward violently.

Catalina screamed.

The entire cell exploded into noise.

Women jumped off benches shouting.

"Fight!"

"Get her!"

Catalina struggled wildly, panic overtaking her completely as her manicured nails clawed uselessly against the woman’s arm.

"Get off me!" she shrieked. "Don’t touch me!"

"HEY!" A baton slammed hard against the bars.

The guard’s irritated voice cut through the chaos immediately.

"Break it up!" he said.

The inmates backed away reluctantly.

The guard unlocked the cell with visible annoyance.

"Windsor," he barked. "You’ve got a visitor."

The tattooed woman released Catalina with a mocking smile.

She stumbled backward, breathing hard. Her hair was disheveled, and one sleeve of her expensive dress now hung half torn from her shoulder.

Rage and humiliation shook her entire body.

"Get me out of here!" she snapped the moment the guard opened the cell fully. "Did you see what these animals did to me?! I’m filing lawsuits against everyone in this building!"

The guard barely reacted. "Yea, yea. Move it."

Catalina stormed out of the cell without looking back.

Then she saw her mother.

Victoria stood near the visitation desk in an expensive cream coat, looking utterly horrified.

"Oh my God," Victoria gasped.

"Mother!"

Catalina rushed toward her immediately, nearly collapsing into her arms.

Victoria held her tightly.

"My poor baby," Victoria whispered in horror. "Look at you."

Catalina’s voice cracked.

"It was horrible," she choked out. "They put me in there with criminals."

Victoria’s expression twisted with fury.

"Animals," she hissed. "Absolute savages. How dare they put you in a cell like that?"

She pulled Catalina back slightly, inspecting the torn dress and scratched skin with growing outrage.

"I came as fast as I could. The lawyers are already handling everything. You’re getting out of this disgusting place immediately."

For the first time since her arrest, Catalina finally felt like she could breathe again.

Then Victoria’s expression changed.

"We’re going home first," she said quietly. "But there is a small problem we need to deal with."

Catalina frowned. The relief on her face fading.

"What problem?"

Victoria adjusted her gloves calmly. "I’ll explain in the car."

The ride home was painfully silent.

Catalina sat stiffly beside her mother in the backseat, disgust twisting inside her with every passing second.

She felt sick.

Finally, she turned toward her mother, her voice trembling.

"Mother... wouldn’t it be better if I just disappeared for a while? I don’t want to plead guilty, neither do I want to go to prison."

Victoria looked at her daughter carefully before pulling out a tissue and gently wiping a stain on her cheek.

"It’s the only way, Cata," she said softly. "But listen to me carefully. You won’t be in there long. Three months at most. Your father already arranged for you to be transferred somewhere very comfortable."

Catalina’s face twisted with fury.

"It’s all Lyvana’s fault!" she snapped bitterly. "She should be the one sitting in a prison cell. Not me."

Victoria’s eyes darkened slightly.

"Don’t worry, my darling," she said with a small smile. "That girl will get what is coming to her."

Catalina blinked, confused.

"What do you mean?"

Victoria leaned back against the leather seat slowly.

"I’ve already started planning something for after your release," she said calmly. "And once it’s done, you won’t ever have to worry about Lyvana again."

Catalina stared at her mother.

"Then why can’t you do it now?" she demanded. "Why do I still have to go to prison first?"