The betrayal I didn't see

Aria Pov:

The safe house was a fortress disguised as a mansion, all cold steel and glass tucked away in the hills outside the city. It was my father’s creation, a place he’d built for “emergencies,” though he’d never told me what that meant.

Now, as I stood in the sterile living room, the walls lined with monitors blinking security feeds, I felt like a bird in a gilded cage.

Damien and Kade had driven me here at dawn, after that shadow, or drone, or whatever it was, had flickered past my penthouse window. The air was thick with tension, their presence was a constant reminder that my life wasn’t mine anymore.

I paced the polished floor, my heels clicking, my phone clutched in my hand like a lifeline. Damien stood by the door, his black suit pristine, his eyes scanning the feeds with that unrelenting focus that made my skin itch.

Kade sprawled on a leather couch, tossing that damn stress ball again, his tattoos peeking out from under his rolled-up sleeves. Every thud of the ball against his palm grated on my nerves.

“You gonna keep wearing a hole in the floor, princess?” Kade drawled, catching the ball and grinning. “Or you wanna tell us what’s got you so wound up?”

I stopped, glaring at him. “I’m locked in a bunker with you two. That’s what’s got me wound up. I didn’t sign up for this.”

Damien didn’t look up, but his voice was sharp. “You don’t get to sign up. You get to stay alive.”

I laughed, the sound was bitter.

“Alive? This isn’t living. This is prison.” I held up my phone, waving it like evidence. “I’m calling my father. He needs to know I don’t need you shadowing my every move.”

Kade raised an eyebrow, leaning forward.

“Good luck with that, sweetheart. Sinclair’s not exactly the ‘let’s negotiate’ type.”

I ignored him, dialing my father’s private line. It rang twice before his voice came through, smooth and controlled, like always. “Aria. Are you safe?”

“Safe?” I snapped, pacing again. “I’m trapped, Dad. I don’t need bodyguards. I can handle myself. Call them off.”

There was a pause, the kind that made my stomach twist.

“You don’t understand the kind of people I deal with,” he said, his tone low, almost a warning. “These aren’t just business rivals, Aria. They’re dangerous. You stay with Damien and Kade. That’s final.”

“What people?” I pressed, my voice rising. “What aren’t you telling me?”

Another pause, longer this time. “Do as you’re told,” he said finally, and the line went dead.

I stared at the phone, my blood boiling. Dangerous people? What the hell did that mean? I wanted to scream, to throw something, but instead, I texted the one person who’d always been my escape: Ethan, my boyfriend. He’d been distant lately, blaming work, but he was the only normal thing left in my life. 'Meet me tonight? I need you'.

His reply was instant: Meet me at my place, 8pm.

I replied: Sorry, I can't make it today.

I dropped my phone. Some hours later, I glanced at Damien, still glued to the monitors, and Kade, now watching me with narrowed eyes. They thought they could control me, but I was done being their prisoner. I needed out, even if it was just for an hour.

“I’m going to my room,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “Don’t follow me.”

Damien’s head snapped up, his gaze piercing. “You don’t leave this floor without one of us.”

I stepped closer, defiance burning in my chest. “It’s a bedroom, Damien, not a war zone. Unless you think I’m gonna get ambushed by my own pillows?”

His jaw clenched, and for a second, I thought he’d grab me, pin me in place with that iron grip. The air between us sparked, his eyes became dark with something that wasn’t just anger. “Don’t push me, Aria.”

Kade stood, his grin gone, his voice softer but no less intense. “Let her cool off, Ward. She’s not going anywhere.”

I turned on my heel, heart pounding, and stormed down the hall. The safe house had a back exit, one I’d overheard Kade mention during their perimeter check. If I timed it right, I could slip out while they were distracted.

Ethan was my lifeline, my proof that I still had some control over my life.

Dusk painted the hills in shades of purple as I slipped out the back, my heart racing. I’d waited until Damien was on a call and Kade was checking the garage, using the safe house’s labyrinth of hallways to my advantage.

My car was parked in the secondary lot, keys still in the glovebox from the rushed move. I drove fast, the wind whipping through my hair, the city lights calling me back to freedom.

Ethan’s apartment was downtown, a loft that always felt like a rebellion against my father’s world. I climbed the stairs two at a time, my pulse thrumming with anticipation.

I needed his arms around me, his voice telling me everything would be okay. I needed normal.

I didn’t knock, the door was unlocked, and I pushed it open, my smile already forming as I called out,

“Ethan?”

The word died in my throat.

He was on the bed, shirtless, his arms wrapped around a woman I didn’t know. Her blonde hair spilled over his chest, her laughter was soft and intimate as she kissed his neck. The room spun, my breath catching like a shard of glass in my chest.

“Aria?” Ethan’s voice was a jolt, his eyes wide as he shoved the woman off him. “What, what are you doing here?”

The woman scrambled to cover herself, her face flushed, but I didn’t look at her. All I saw was Ethan, the man I’d thought was mine, staring at me like I was the intruder.

“You bastard,” I whispered, my voice breaking. I wanted to scream, to throw something, but my body wouldn’t move.

The betrayal sank into me like poison, tearing through every hope I’d clung to.

I turned and ran, the sound of his voice calling my name fading behind me.

The city blurred through my tears as I stumbled back to my car, my hands shaking so hard I could barely hold the wheel. I’d fought so hard to escape, to hold onto something real, and it was all a lie.

Damien and Kade were waiting for me at the safe house, their faces are a storm of anger and worry. But as I stood there, broken and exposed,

I realized the real danger wasn’t just the threat outside.

It was the way I was starting to need them, two men who were supposed to be my cage, but who were becoming something else entirely.