CHAPTER 170
KATYA POV
My foot missed a step, not by much but it was just enough to send the world lurching violently to the side, my grip slipping as the trunk jerked forward with a brutal tug that wrenched a sound from my throat before I could stop it.
Pain exploded up my spine, sharp and absolute, stealing my breath so completely I thought I might black out right there.
The railing slammed into my ribs as I stumbled, my knees buckling hard against the edge of the stair.
White burst across my vision, swallowing everything. I clung to the trunk handle like it was the only thing anchoring me to the world.
Don't fall. Don't fall. If I fell, I didn't know if I'd get back up. My body shook violently, muscles spasming in protest as I dragged in shallow, panicked breaths.
The stairwell felt too narrow, too tall, too endless—like it was closing in on me. My vision tunneled. The walls blurred.
