Chapter 8

"For your own safety, Elara. Until this whole media frenzy blows over."

That was Liam's justification for moving me to what he called a "safe house." It was a stunning glass-and-steel villa perched on a cliff overlooking the ocean, a masterpiece of modern architecture. It was also completely isolated, a gilded cage miles from the nearest town, with only one road in and out. He took my car keys, "to avoid temptation," and left me with a new, pre-programmed phone, "for emergencies only." The house's advanced security system, he assured me, was impenetrable and directly linked to his personal network.

He was right about the security system. It was so impenetrable that it didn't register the two large, silent men who disabled it from an external panel an hour after he left. They didn't shatter the glass walls; they simply unlocked the doors. They moved with a chilling, professional efficiency that spoke of an inside job. They knew the layout. They knew the camera's blind spots. They knew exactly where to find me.

I was in the master bedroom, staring out at the vast, indifferent ocean, when they came for me. The struggle was brief and brutal. They were too strong, too prepared. As one of them pinned my arms, the other ripped the custom-made smartwatch from my wrist, the one Liam had given me for our anniversary.

But in that frantic, desperate struggle, my thumb managed to find the small, recessed button on the side. I pressed it, held it for three agonizing seconds, activating the emergency call function. It was programmed to dial only one number, a direct line that bypassed all receptionists and went straight to Liam's personal phone.

The call connected. I knew it did because through the chaos, I heard the faint, tinny sound of a television news report coming from the other end. And then I heard her voice, Seraphina's voice, laced with a familiar, cloying tremor of manufactured distress. "Liam, the news... they're saying such awful things about me. Make them stop. I can't take it."

And then I heard his voice, not panicked or questioning why an emergency line was calling him, but hurried, annoyed, and utterly focused on her. "I know, Sera, I know. I'll deal with it right now. I'll handle it."

Click.

The line went dead. He didn't just ignore my silent, desperate plea for help. He heard it, acknowledged its existence, and he chose to hang up. The man who had promised to keep me safe, in the house he had provided for my safety, had just calmly and deliberately fed me to the wolves. As the men dragged me out into the cold night, the beautiful, secure glass house became nothing more than a silent, glittering tomb.