Semua Bab Loyal to Her Lies : Bab 31 - Bab 39

I couldn’t sleep.Every creak of the house made me flinch. Every silence felt like the calm before a storm. After Damien confronted Nico, the mansion had gone eerily quiet. Too quiet. Nico hadn’t said a word to me. No door slams. No yelling. Just silence.And that terrified me more than anything else.I stared at the packed bag in the corner of my closet—small, plain, hidden. I’d been quietly adding to it for days. I didn’t know if I’d ever have the courage to use it. But now… I had to. There was no more pretending. No more hoping things would go back to normal.Because *normal* had never been safe.A light knock came at my door, soft but urgent. I opened it, and there he was—Damien."Is it time?" I whispered, my voice trembling.He nodded once. “Car’s ready. We don’t have long.”I turned one last time, looking at the space that had been my prison disguised as a home. Then I grabbed my bag and followed Damien into the hallway, heart pounding in my chest.We moved quickly, carefully. D

We sat there in silence for a while, our hands locked together, the weight of everything that had happened slowly settling between us. For the first time in months—maybe even years—I felt the ground beneath me was solid. I wasn’t performing. I wasn’t walking on eggshells or calculating my every word. I was just Aisla, sitting across from a man who saw me, truly saw me.After we finished eating, Damien started cleaning up while I wandered to the window. The small apartment overlooked a quiet street. No blacked-out cars. No guards watching my every move. No Nico.“I have to figure out what I’m going to do next,” I said quietly, mostly to myself.Damien looked over from the sink. “You don’t have to rush. You’ve been in survival mode for too long, Aisla. You deserve time to just… be.”I turned to face him. “But what if he finds us?”“He won’t,” he said firmly. “I covered our tracks. We’re off the grid for now, and I’ve got contacts if we need to keep moving. But more importantly—” he walk

The hours dragged by like a slow, unforgiving tide. I sat on the edge of the bed, the small bag at my feet half-packed, the weight of everything pressing down on me like a physical force. Damien moved quietly around the room, methodically gathering the essentials: clothes, chargers, documents. His calm was a sharp contrast to the storm raging inside me. I envied his strength and clarity. “I never thought it would come to this,” I whispered, voice barely audible, my hands twisting nervously in my lap. Damien looked up, eyes softening. “None of this is your fault, Aisla. You didn’t ask for any of it.” “But I stayed. I let it happen,” I said, shame creeping over my cheeks. “I was scared and weak.” He crossed the room and sat beside me, placing a steady hand over mine. “You’re not weak. You survived. You’re fighting now, and that makes you stronger than anyone I know.” I wanted to believe him, wanted to believe that this nightmare could end. But every time I thought of Nico—his

As the café filled with the soft murmur of early morning patrons, I let my eyes drift to the worn wooden table in front of me, tracing the faded scratches as if they could map out a way to safety. Bea was dozing against my side, her small breaths steady but shallow from the tension I knew she carried. Damien’s presence beside me was a steady anchor, yet I could feel the storm brewing beneath his calm exterior.“We need a plan,” Damien said quietly, breaking the silence. “Nico’s not just going to let us walk away. He’s smart. Dangerous. And he has resources.”I nodded slowly, feeling the weight of his words settle into my bones. “I’ve been thinking about that. We can’t just go to the police blind. He’s got people everywhere—corrupt cops, lawyers—he’s built a fortress around himself.”Damien’s eyes darkened. “We need evidence. Something solid. Something they can’t ignore.”The thought of gathering proof terrified me. The hidden calls, the threats, the moments of violence—would any of it

The tires screamed against the pavement, and for a heartbeat the world slowed. The car door flew open. A tall man stepped out — not Nico, but one of his enforcers. I recognized him instantly. Marco. Cold eyes, slicked-back hair, a scar that split his brow in two. He grinned. “You made this too easy.” Damien shoved Bea into my arms. “Run,” he said, stepping forward. But I couldn’t. My legs wouldn’t move. Fear rooted me in place, and all I could do was watch as Damien faced Marco alone. Marco raised his gun lazily. “You always were the loyal one, Damien. What changed? The girl?” Damien didn’t answer. He lunged, disarming Marco in one brutal motion — the gun clattered away. They grappled, fists and fury echoing through the alley. Bea whimpered against my chest, and I could barely breathe. When Marco’s fist connected with Damien’s jaw, I flinched as though I’d been hit. Damien stumbled but recovered fast, slamming Marco against the wall. “Stay down,” he growled. Marco spat blood.