Diana's mouth went dry.
"Whose side am I on?" she repeated, forcing her voice not to shake.
"There's only ever been one side in this house," Damien said. "Mine."
She crossed her arms, the faint tremor in her hands betraying her. "Maybe I'm tired of playing for a team I don't understand."
His gaze darkened. "You went to him because you wanted the truth. Fine. I'll give you mine."
He stepped closer, slow and deliberate. "Rhys is a liar. Always has been. And he's smart enough to weave his lies with just enough truth to make them sound real."
"Smart enough to survive you, you mean," she said before she could stop herself.
Something flickered across his face—offense, amusement, maybe both. "You think he's the victim?"
"I don't know what to think," she admitted. "Because every time I start to believe you, I find another secret."
He was close enough now that she could see the faint scar just under his jaw, a line she'd never noticed before. "You think I keep secrets to hurt you. I keep them to protect you."
Her laugh was humorless. "You lock me in your room for my safety?"
"Yes," he said without hesitation. "Because there are people in this house—under this roof—who would gut you just to watch me bleed. And Rhys is one of them."
Diana's heart thudded hard against her ribs. "And what if you're one of them too?"
He didn't flinch. "Then you're already in hell, sweetheart. And the only thing you can do now… is decide if you want the devil to hold your hand or not."
---
She hated how her chest tightened at that.
Hated that part of her wanted to reach for him, even as the other part screamed to run.
"I can't choose a side when both sides are soaked in blood," she said quietly.
Damien's eyes softened, almost imperceptibly. "Then don't choose. Just stay where you are."
"Which is where?"
"Close enough for me to protect you," he said, "and too close for anyone else to take you."
---
She wanted to argue.
She wanted to tell him that this wasn't protection—it was possession.
But then his hand came up, brushing her hair back from her face in a gesture so unexpectedly gentle it left her throat tight.
"You don't have to trust me yet," he murmured. "But don't trust him either. Promise me that."
She didn't promise.
She didn't refuse.
---
When she finally slept that night, she dreamt of Rhys's eyes watching her through chains, and Damien's voice whispering against her ear, If you ever meet Rhys, don't believe a word he says.
And in the dream, she was holding both of their hands—only to realize too late that they were pulling her in opposite directions.
---
In the surveillance room, Cassie replayed the footage of Damien touching Diana's face.
She leaned back in her chair, a wicked smile curling her lips.
"Perfect," she whispered. "Let them get closer. It'll make the fall so much sweeter."
She picked up her phone and typed a single message.
> She's exactly where you wanted her.
The reply came seconds later from an unlisted number.
> Good. Tell Rhys… it's almost time.