CHAPTER 116: 115: BLADES BENEATH THE TRUTH

Josie

I heard it—the faint crunch of footsteps behind me.

When I turned, my stomach lurched. Michelle’s father stood there, his eyes hard, his lips twisted into a cruel sneer that made my blood run cold.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded, my voice shaking though I tried to keep it steady.

His response was a sharp, mocking laugh. "I don’t have time for your little questions, girl. All I need is for you to pay for hurting my daughter."

I stumbled a step back, my chest tightening. "What are you talking about? I didn’t—"

"Shut your mouth!" he snapped, his tone laced with venom. "You ruined her. And now, you’ll pay the price."

My instinct screamed at me to run, so I tried to shout for help, but before the sound could even rip fully from my throat, he lunged forward. His hand clamped over my mouth, smothering the cry, while his weight crashed into me with brutal force.

"No!" I tried to scream, thrashing beneath his grip, but his strength dwarfed mine. His breath was hot against my ear as he growled, "Struggle all you want. It won’t change your fate."

Panic surged through me, hot and suffocating. I clawed at his arms, kicked against the dirt, but he dragged me down like I was nothing more than a rag doll. My back scraped against the ground, rocks biting into my skin as he pulled me forward through the mud, the wet earth clinging to my clothes and hair. My voice broke in muffled cries against his palm.

I was helpless.

When I finally came to, I found myself on the dirt floor of a secluded clearing. The world around me spun for a moment, my head pounding as if I’d been struck. My wrists were sore from his grip, and my body ached from being dragged. I forced myself upright, swallowing down fear, and there she was—Michelle.

Her eyes locked on me, burning with twisted satisfaction, while her father stood nearby like a guard dog.

"You..." I whispered, my voice cracking, "you did this."

Michelle’s lips curled into a smile that was colder than any knife. "You didn’t think it would end just like that, did you, Josie? My father doesn’t let things go so easily. Especially not when it comes to me."

I tore my hand from her grip when she reached for me, staggering back a step even as my body screamed from exhaustion. "Don’t touch me."

Her father blocked my path, his arms crossed, his gaze daring me to try and escape. Every time I shifted even slightly, his stance shifted too, caging me in.

"You won’t get away this time," he growled. "No tricks. No running."

The hopelessness of it all threatened to crush me, but rage flickered in my chest. I refused to bow. My power sparked at my fingertips, a warm, dangerous current coursing through my veins. I wouldn’t let them break me. Not again.

Michelle sneered, sensing the change in me. "Go ahead. Try something. Let’s see how far that power of yours gets you when you’re already broken."

Her taunts only stoked the fire inside me. My body screamed with pain, but I pulled strength from every shard of anger I had left. My power surged, crackling in the air, and I fought.

It was chaos. Her father tried to restrain me, lunging again, but I slammed him back with a burst of energy that sent him sprawling into the dirt. Michelle’s gasp echoed, disbelief flashing across her face.

"You—"

"Yes," I hissed, my voice trembling but defiant. "I’m not as weak as you think."

Her expression hardened, the shock replaced with fury. But before she could make her next move, her voice sharpened into a cruel weapon. "It doesn’t matter. Do you even know the truth about Kiel? About what he did?"

I froze, breathing hard, my chest heaving as I stared at her. "What are you talking about?"

Michelle’s smile widened like a predator’s. "Kiel knew. He knew your parents were innocent. He knew I was involved. And still, he defended me. He let everyone believe they had tried to kill you. And you—" she leaned forward, her eyes gleaming— "you believed he was your savior."

"No," I whispered, shaking my head violently. "You’re lying."

Her laugh cut me open like a blade. "Lying? Oh, Josie. You’re so desperate to believe in fairytales. You’ve been deluding yourself this whole time. Kiel chose me. He always has."

Her words clawed at my heart, ripping apart the fragile hope I had clung to for so long. My throat burned as I tried to speak, but the words tangled with the storm inside me. "That’s not true. He wouldn’t—he wouldn’t do that to me."

"Wouldn’t he?" Michelle pressed, her voice dripping with poison. "You think you matter more than me? That he would throw everything away for you? He let the world condemn your parents while protecting me. And you—pathetic little you—you kept loving him anyway."

Her laughter rang in my ears, cruel and mocking. My chest heaved, my head spun. Disorientation gripped me, her words colliding with my memories, twisting everything I thought I knew into something unrecognizable.

"You’re wrong," I whispered, though my own voice wavered. "You’re lying."

Michelle’s eyes glittered. "Keep telling yourself that."

Pain exploded in my side before I even registered her movement. A sharp sting, hot and burning, tore through me. My breath hitched, and when I looked down, I saw it—her knife buried in my flesh.

"No—" I gasped, clutching at the wound as fire spread through my body.

Michelle’s face hovered above me, triumphant, as the world blurred and darkened around me. "Now you’ll finally learn."

I collapsed, the strength draining from me as darkness swallowed everything.

—

When I woke, the world was nothing but a haze of pain and confusion. My eyelids fluttered open, and the first thing I saw was him.

Kiel.

His face hovered above mine, his expression tight with concern. For a moment, my chest clenched with something that almost felt like relief—until the memory of Michelle’s words struck me like lightning.

Rage surged through me, overpowering the weakness in my body. I snapped at him before he could even speak. "Stay away from me."

His brows furrowed instantly. "Josie—what the hell is wrong with you? You’re hurt. Let me—"

"No!" My voice cracked, but I forced it louder, sharper, cutting him off. "Don’t you dare touch me. Don’t act like you care!"

His eyes darkened, confusion flashing into frustration. "What are you talking about? Why are you—"

"You tell me!" I spat, my throat raw with anger and betrayal. "Why don’t you tell me, Kiel, why you lied? Why you told everyone that my parents tried to kill me when you knew the truth at the time?"

The words tore from me, raw and jagged, fueled by every wound Michelle had reopened. My chest heaved as I glared at him, waiting—needing—for him to answer.

And in that moment, everything hung between us—love, betrayal, fury, and a truth I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear.