Aria's POV
"Play it again."
Maya tapped the screen. Static buzzed through the speakers, low and crackling, like the whisper of a storm trapped in a wire.
Then, through the distortion, three words cut sharp and cold, like a blade dragged across glass.
"Don't trust Damon."
My stomach dropped. My breath caught in my throat.
"That's her," I whispered, leaning closer. "That's Lila. Her voice. No question."
Godson shifted from the corner, arms folded across his chest, his sharp eyes never leaving the screen. His voice was cold, skeptical, laced with tension.
"It could be fake. Deepfake tech is scary good now. Anyone with the right software and motive could've made that sound exactly like Lila."
"It's her," I said sharply. My pulse was racing. "Even three broken words, I know my sister."
Maya frowned, chewing on her lip. "Signal came from a rural relay tower west of the city."
"Dead now," she added. "They killed the transmission the moment it pulsed."
