Chapter Forty-Four: Blank Promises

Sophie's POV

Victoria reached into her pocket. Even hurt, she wouldn't let a single wince cross her face, but I caught how her fingers shook - not from fear, but from the pain she pretended didn't exist.

"Sophie." Her voice dropped even lower, barely a whisper. "I need you to help me with something."

I leaned closer, aware of Victoria's hand emerged holding a carefully folded piece of paper.

"What's that?"

"A message." She pressed the paper into my palm, her skin cool against mine. "For your father."

The paper felt impossibly light for something that could probably get us both killed. "You can't be serious."

"Deadly." Her smile turned bitter, fresh blood welling from her split lip. She dabbed it away without flinching.

"This is insane." I clutched the paper like it might burn me and my voice cracked embarrassingly. "After what just happened - what he did to you-"

"This isn't about me anymore." Victoria caught my free hand, squeezing gently. The bruises on her wrist dark against my skin made my chest ache. "There are bigger things at stake."

"Like what?" I demanded, but kept my voice low. "The truth about who you really are? About why you've been here all this time?"

She went very still. When she finally spoke, each word was carefully chosen: "Do you really want to know?"

Did I? The question hit harder than I expected. Until tonight, Victoria had been my only ally in here. The only one who seemed to genuinely care about my wellbeing rather than my political value. Finding out she might have had ulterior motives all along...

"Are you..." I swallowed hard, forcing myself to ask, "Have you been spying for him? For my father?"

That elegant eyebrow arched, reminding me so much of my own expression in the mirror that it hurt. But instead of answering, she reached up to brush a strand of hair from my face. Her touch was feather-light, careful of her split knuckles.

"You're so much like her, you know." she murmured. "Your mother. She had that same sharp mind."

"Don't." I jerked away from her touch. "Don't use my mother to deflect."

"I'm not deflecting." Something flickered in her eyes. Pain? Regret? "I'm trying to protect you."

"By asking me to pass secret messages? How is that protection? Victoria, please. Just tell me the truth." My voice cracked.

"I can't." Her voice held genuine regret. "Not yet. But if you deliver that message..."

I stared at the innocuous piece of paper in my hand. "What's in it?"

"Better you don't know."

"What if Marcus catches me?" Ice slid down my spine. The reality of what she was asking started sinking in. If Marcus discovered I was passing messages to my father... The memory of those basement screams made my stomach turn. And that had been Victoria - his trusted mistress for years. What would he do to me?

"I can't do this Victoria, he'll kill me. Or worse."

"No, he won't." She caught my trembling hands in hers. "You're too valuable to him now. Both as Adam's fiancée and as your father's heir. But you have to be smart about this."

My mind raced through the possibilities, each one more terrifying than the last. What if this was a test? What if Marcus already knew about the note and was watching to see what I'd do? But then why would Victoria risk everything to give it to me? Unless she was working with Marcus to test my loyalty...

"Stop overthinking." Victoria's voice cut through my spiral. "I know that look, you're seeing conspiracies everywhere. Just like your father."

"Can you blame me?" I gestured at her injuries. "Look what he did to you! And you've been here for years, earned his trust. I'm just..." I trailed off, not even sure how to finish that sentence. Just another pawn? Just another stupid girl caught in their games?

Her expression softened. "You're not 'just' anything, Sophie. I've watched you stand up to Marcus, survive things that would break most wolves. Don't underestimate yourself."

"Victoria..." My throat felt tight. "I can't handle all of these without you. Please don't go."

This woman had been my shield, my guide, maybe even my family all along. She'd suffered through Marcus's rage to protect secrets I didn't even understand. And now she was leaving, taking with her the only real warmth I'd found in this cage.

"Don't cry, little one." Her thumb brushed my cheek, the gesture achingly familiar. "You're stronger than you know."

"Am I?" I choked out. "Strong people don't get others hurt. Strong people don't-"

"Strong people survive." Her voice turned fierce despite its softness. "They adapt. They learn. And they never, never forget who they really are."

She cupped my face in her hands, and for a moment I saw such deep sadness in her eyes that it took my breath away. "We'll meet again, little one. When it's safe."

"When will that be?"

That ghost of a smile again. "Sooner than you think." She pressed a kiss to my forehead again, then pulled away. "Be careful who you trust. Even family isn't always what it seems."

Before I could process that cryptic warning, she was gone. The door closed behind her with barely a whisper, leaving me alone with an impossible choice and a paper that felt like it weighed a thousand pounds.

I paced my room, the paper burning a hole in my palm. I should just deliver it like she asked. But the image of Marcus's rage when he discovered Victoria's true identity kept flashing through my mind. The smart move would be destroying it immediately. But if it really contained information that could help me understand my position in this mess...

"Fuck it," I muttered. I had to know.

With trembling fingers, I unfolded the paper.

"What the fuck?" I turned it over, held it up to the light, checked every corner.

Nothing. The paper was completely, utterly blank.