Zara’s POVThe mansion had grown too quiet. Not the kind of peaceful quiet that brings you calm, but the heavy, stifling kind that makes your skin itch and your instincts crawl. I’d learned to trust that feeling a long time ago. Survival, when you’ve walked through enough betrayal and blood, demands it.I noticed it first with the way the staff spoke to me—eyes a little too wide, smiles a little too stiff. But it wasn’t until yesterday, when Elias cried for the third time during his nap and the nanny came rushing down the stairs, flustered and out of breath, that the real alarms began to ring in my head.The nanny, Liv, was always composed. She moved with the silent grace of someone born to care for children. But that afternoon, her hands trembled as she reached for Elias’s bottle, and when I asked her if everything was alright, she nodded too quickly—like she was trying to convince herself more than me.I didn’t say anything then. Instead, I held Elias closer, rocking him until his s

Zara’s POVThe morning after Liv’s betrayal, the mansion felt different. Not just quiet this time—hollow. Like something sacred had been breached.I stood by the window in the nursery, watching as Marco’s team swept the grounds. Dogs sniffed every corner. Security systems were being upgraded. Marco was shouting orders into his phone, his voice sharp, clipped, efficient. Ethan was already in the underground war room with Carlo, scanning data, combing through every contact Liv had made since she stepped foot in our home.And me?I stayed with Elias. I didn’t let him out of my sight. Not even for a second.His small fingers curled around mine, trusting, warm, innocent. I kept trying to breathe deeply, to stay calm, but all I could see was Liv’s terrified eyes, and the thought—What if we hadn’t caught her in time?A soft knock came at the nursery door. I turned sharply. Amaya stepped in, holding two mugs.“You need to eat something,” she said gently, setting one down on the dresser.“I’m

Ethan's povI used to believe I had full control. That no matter how chaotic the world around me became, I could anchor everything with one command, one threat, one shot. But now? I wasn’t so sure anymore.Marco stood in front of me, arms crossed, his face tense.“We’ve double-checked every line of communication. Liv’s messages were routed through encrypted servers in Germany, but the signal originated from within the state. Leonard isn’t gone, Ethan. He’s watching, just like Zara said.”I rubbed my jaw, fighting the headache pressing behind my eyes. “And Chris?”“In federal custody. Already talking. He’s begging for a deal, willing to give up everything to avoid a lifetime sentence.”I scoffed, low and bitter. “Coward.”But part of me understood. Chris wasn’t built for prison. He’d fold under pressure, and honestly, that’s exactly what I needed him to do.“Keep Zara out of this,” I said sharply. “I’ll handle the fallout.”Marco’s eyes flickered with something like disagreement, but

Zara’s POVI used to think silence was peace. The kind that came after a storm, when everything was still and the sky hung low with gentle clouds. But the silence in this mansion wasn’t peace—it was tension, waiting to snap.I could feel it in every corner. In the way people paused conversations the moment I walked by. In the way the guards avoided eye contact. In the way Marco hesitated before giving his updates—as though he feared I wouldn’t like what I heard.And maybe I wouldn’t.It had been three days since we caught Liv sneaking into the security office. She was still locked up, under constant watch, but she hadn’t said a word. Not to me. Not to Ethan. Not to anyone. Just sat in that spare room, staring at the wall like she was waiting for something.Or someone.And that unsettled me more than anything.I stood in front of the tall windows of the library, staring out into the garden where Elias was playing under Marco’s watchful eye. His little giggles floated through the glass,

Zara’s POVI didn’t sleep. Not really. I closed my eyes, sure. But my body stayed alert, wired with tension, the kind that crept into my bones and refused to leave.Ethan had gone to meet with Marco. He didn’t say much before he left—just that he needed to “tighten security.” That meant digging through more files, more footage, more lies. And it left me here, pacing like a caged animal.Elias was asleep in his crib, but even his peaceful breathing didn’t settle the unrest that churned in my chest. Liv’s betrayal wasn’t just a fluke. It wasn’t some isolated incident. It was the first visible crack in the fragile walls of the life we’d built.And cracks always spread.I sat down at the edge of the couch in the nursery, my arms wrapped around my legs, and let the silence speak. My thoughts went back to Liv’s trembling fingers, her refusal to speak even when cornered. Was it fear? Loyalty? Or conditioning?Whatever it was, it meant we were running out of time.My phone buzzed.A message f