"The one who gave me the key… is the same person who built the lock to keep me in."
The screen flickered. The video stuttered, then began to play.. grainy at first, like a memory too damaged to be whole.
Voices echoed faintly through the speakers, one calm and calculated. The other is familiar. Damian's.
She didn't blink.
In the footage, he stood beside the scientist, their conversation laced with precision, not hesitation. There was no sign of guilt, no flicker of regret. Just… plans.
Her chest rose slowly. Once. Then still.
Whatever she thought she knew… dissolved.
This wasn't betrayal.
It was designed.
"Our families could have been the most powerful in the dynasty," Damian's voice echoed from the recording, "and you'd rule while my wife and I toured the world. But no, you had to ruin everything."
Damian visibly tensed, holding his breath as the video played.
