CHAPTER 53: The Final Betrayal

CHAPTER 53: The Final Betrayal
Serena’s POV

The bruises on my wrist had started to fade, but the ache in my chest hadn’t.

Kieran had treated me like an outsider. No, worse—as if I were dirt. After the altercation at the docks, I had noticed it in his eyes. I believed that things would change when I shot Victor to save him. Perhaps he would finally realize how desperate I was and how much I had gone to keep what we had built safe.

However, he did not express gratitude. He did not inquire about my pain. He simply gazed at me as if I had destroyed his entire existence.

Perhaps I had.

I had returned to the shadows, where I had begun. A ghost without a home or allies. I was not finished, though. Not just yet.

I was walking down a cracked sidewalk toward an old warehouse on the outskirts of the city when I put the burner phone to my ear. Dust whirled into the air as a truck roared past.

"Are you certain he will be present?" Quietly, I asked.

The voice on the line replied, "Yes." But Serena, you must exercise caution. Victor has no faith in anyone.

"Neither should he trust me."

After hanging up, I stuffed the phone in my coat pocket. I was not sure if it was nerves or the cold that made my fingers shake. Each stride in the direction of the warehouse felt like a step into a trap. But I was powerless.

Evelyn was Kieran's choice. He had opted for the truth. I would have to crawl through blood to rewrite the game because of this.

My final card was Victor.

The warehouse's side door was already slightly ajar when I arrived. With my heels clicking softly on the concrete floor, I slipped inside. The smell of motor oil and rust filled the air. Through the windows came shafts of filthy light, casting long, slanted shadows across the room.

Victor was shirtless and wearing new bandages around his torso as he stood close to a rusted metal table. His gaze shifted in my direction. chilly. Making calculations.

"You arrived," he remarked. "Even after you shot me."

Calmly, I stated, "I did not shoot to kill." "You ought to feel thankful."

He gave a gloomy laugh. "You are fortunate that I am feeling giving right now."

"I need your assistance."

"That is funny," he remarked, slowly lowering himself toward a shabby chair. "Because you told me I was a mistake the last time we spoke."

I took a step closer and said, "You are a mistake." "You are a useful one, though."

Victor's eyes shone brightly. "That is the Serena I recall."

I swallowed the knot in my throat and crossed my arms. "I desire that Evelyn leave. She is destroying everything. Kieran hears her out. Adrian despises me. The truth is getting out too quickly.

Victor put his hands on the table and leaned back. "You want me to tidy up your mess, then?"

"No," I replied. "I want you to complete the task at hand."

He furrowed his brow.

I went on, "You mentioned something at the docks." "It seems like Adrian is not who Kieran believes him to be."

Victor smiled again. "You still maintain that falsehood?"

"If it is helpful, it is not a lie."

He got up slowly and walked over to a cabinet nearby. He took out a file after opening it. Thick, yellowed, and tied with a red thread. I gasped.

"What is that?"

"Coverage," he said. "The reality that you have been distorting for years."

The file he tossed onto the table. It hit the ground with a loud thud. He slapped his hand down on top of it as I reached for it.

"Not so quickly," he remarked. "There is a cost to this."

"What are you looking for?"

He examined me closely, looking at every part of my face as if he were tearing me apart. "Serena, you already know what I want. It is what I have always desired. Strength.

"I no longer have power."

However, you know the name. The entry. The media continues to portray you as a Blackwood. People will listen when you cry on camera. They will question Evelyn once more as soon as you accuse her of something heinous.

I squinted. "You are trying to bait me."

"You should fulfill your role. For the final time. I will make sure you land on your feet if you create the chaos I require.

I paused. I felt sick to my stomach.

Victor moved in closer, his voice now softer. "Serena, you are at the end of your options. Everything is going against you. But you still have a chance with me.

I detested him.

I detested losing more, though.

I grabbed the file.

He allowed me to open it this time.

There were pictures inside. records. an examination of DNA. With every page I turned, my heart pounded louder. I recognized names, dates, and hospital logos. Then I noticed it.

Two babies.

Just one file.

Two distinct outcomes.

I let out a gasp.

"It is impossible," I muttered. "We had just one son."

Leaning over, Victor whispered in my ear. False. Evelyn gave birth to twins. You only took one.

My knees almost gave out. "No, that is not possible."

Amused, he touched the side of his face. Kieran did not inquire. He had no doubts. He believed you when you showed him a baby and grief.

I flipped through more papers and muttered, "No." "You are telling lies."

He asked, "Why would I lie?" "The truth has greater force. You are aware of it now. What are you going to do with it, I wonder?

I looked at the pictures. Two boys who are exactly alike. One who was brought up in luxury. The other... without saying a word.

"You knew," I uttered, gasping for air. "You have known all along."

Victor took a step back, allowing me to absorb the reality. "Serena, I always take the long view."

The horror hit me like a wave. I had lied for all those years. manipulated. I believed I was in charge. However, this?

Everything changed as a result.

Adrian and Damien were more than just acquaintances.

They were brothers.

And if Kieran discovered...

I reached for the file and pressed it against my chest. "What are you expecting me to do?"

"Leak it," said Victor. "With caution. Only enough to cast doubt on it. Make Kieran doubt everything once more. We will remove Evelyn from the situation. Once she’s gone, we rebuild.”

“You’re insane,” I whispered.

"No," he replied. "I am unavoidable."

He left the smell of blood and secrets behind as he passed me and vanished into the darkness.

With the file trembling in my hands, I stood motionless.

Truth was the most potent weapon Victor had just given me.

But there was always a cost to the truth.

Furthermore, I was not certain I could afford it.

My phone buzzed behind me.

A message.

from an unidentified number.

It was a picture.

Adrian.

observing Evelyn's apartment from outside.

staring directly into the camera.

Damien at his heels.

My throat constricted.

They were acquainted.

They were in contact.

They would soon discover what I had done.

what I took.

As I hurried out of the warehouse, clutching the file as if it were my last, my legs started to move on their own.