Chapter 245 CHAPTER 245

Chapter 245 CHAPTER 245
Liam stepped into the cell without rushing, his presence filling the space in a quiet, steady way. He had been standing outside long enough to hear everything that Anna had told Isabel. 

His gaze moved between them, taking in the distance, the tension, the way Anna stood angled forward while Isabel held herself tighter, as if bracing against something unseen.

Liam stepped further into the cell, his gaze moving between them before settling. “What were you two talking about?”

Anna let out a short breath, folding her arms. “Why do you care? We’re standing in a cell, remember? We don’t owe you anything until the council decides what to do with us.”

Liam’s eyes stayed on her for a moment, unreadable. “You still have a voice, even in here.”

“And I’m choosing not to use it for you,” Anna replied.

Isabel took a step forward, her hands tightening together before she spoke. “Liam… please.” Her voice softened, almost careful. “Look at me.”

He didn’t answer.

“I didn’t do this,” she continued, her eyes searching his face. “You know me. I wouldn’t…”

Liam’s gaze flickered to her, just briefly, holding there a second longer than needed before shifting away again.

He had heard enough.

“It seems keeping the two of you together isn’t helping,” he said, his tone even. 

Anna dismissed him again, but Liam had already decided.

“You stay,” he said, glancing at her briefly before turning to Isabel. “You come with me.”

Isabel hesitated for a moment, her eyes flickering between them, then stepped forward. The door opened and closed behind her with a quiet finality, leaving the weight of the cell behind as she followed Liam into the corridor.

They walked in silence at first, their footsteps echoing lightly against the stone. Isabel kept a small distance, her hands cuffed together in front of her. 

Liam slowed after a few steps, then stopped entirely.

He reached into his pocket.

Isabel frowned slightly, watching as he pulled out a set of keys. The metal glinted briefly before he stepped closer and unlocked the cuffs around her wrists. The restraints loosened, then slipped away completely.

She stared at her hands, then looked up at him. “Liam… what are you doing?”

He pocketed the cuffs before answering. “I’m correcting something that should have been done earlier.”

Her brows drew together. “You knew?”

He exhaled slowly, his gaze steady but not distant. “I knew something didn’t fit,” he said. “From the beginning. The timing. The way things happened around you. It didn’t sit right.”

Isabel’s fingers curled slightly as she processed that. “Then why didn’t you say anything?” she asked.

“Because if I had,” he replied, “we would have lost the chance to understand what was really happening. Anna wouldn’t have spoken the way she did if she thought you were not the culprit.”

The words settled heavily.

Isabel looked away briefly, then back at him. “So you let me stay there,” she said quietly.

“Yes,” Liam answered. “And I’m sorry for ruining your birthday. But I saw a chance to end everything and couldn’t let it pass.”

A pause stretched between them, not empty, just full of what hadn’t been said before.

“When did you know?” she asked after a moment.

“I had my suspicions,” he said. “But I confirmed after the second attempted abduction. It felt… too aligned. Too convenient. I had someone look into it, quietly.”

She let out a small breath, her shoulders easing just slightly. “You thought I was involved.”

“I thought something was,” he corrected again. “Not you. But whoever was behind it was working hard to make you out as the villain. I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness but I want to know that I did it for Lisa. I couldn’t bear the thought of her looking over her shoulder for a moment longer.”

She studied him for a second longer, then nodded slowly. “If that’s what it took,” she said, “then I understand.”

Her hand lifted unconsciously, rubbing lightly against her wrist where the cuff had been.

“Does Ethan know?” she asked.

Liam hesitated just enough for her to notice.

“No,” he said.

Isabel blinked. “You didn’t tell him?”

“I didn’t tell anyone,” he replied. “If Ethan or Lisa had known, they would have stopped this. They wouldn’t have let you be placed in that cell, especially on your birthday. I didn’t plan for it to fall like that, but I couldn’t risk losing the chance.”

Isabel looked down, then back up. “So he still thinks I did it.”

“For now,” Liam said. “But that changes today.”

Before she could respond, his posture shifted slightly, his focus turning inward as the connection formed.

Ethan’s voice reached him first.

We made contact.

Liam’s gaze sharpened. “With who?”

Lisa reached them. Sebastian and our mother. We know more now.

Liam nodded once. “Good.”

Prepare the guards to move, Ethan added. Tonight.

Liam’s jaw tightened slightly. “On it. Is Lisa okay?”

She is shaken but fine.

A brief pause followed before Liam spoke again. “There’s something you need to know.”

What?

“Isabel is innocent,” Liam said.

Silence answered him at first.

Then Ethan’s voice returned, quieter. You’re certain?

“Yes.”

Another pause.

I… misjudged her, I was too harsh on her.

Liam didn’t respond to that.

Do you think she’ll forgive me?

“She’s with me,” Liam said. “Do you want me to ask her?”

The response came quickly this time.

No. I’ll speak to her myself when I return. There’s something else I need to tell her.

The link faded.

Liam lowered his gaze back to Isabel.

“He wants to talk to you himself.”

She nodded, something lighter settling in her expression, even if it hadn’t fully reached her yet. “That’s good,” she said.

They continued walking.

The palace felt warmer when they stepped inside, the light spilling across the floors in a way that felt almost unfamiliar after the dimness of the cells. Isabel paused just inside, her gaze moving across the space, taking in the details she had taken for granted before.

“I’m really hungry,” she said suddenly, the words slipping out without effort. “Please tell me there’s still food.”

The housekeeper turned, surprise flickering across her face before softening into something gentler. “There is,” she said quickly. “We kept everything we had made for your birthday.”

Isabel smiled faintly. “Good. I’m going to need all of it.”

The housekeeper stepped closer, her hands clasping together. “We’re sorry,” she said. “We shouldn’t have believed…”

“It’s okay,” Isabel interrupted gently. “You didn’t know.”

A small silence followed, then the housekeeper nodded. “We’ll do it again,” she said. “Your birthday. Properly this time.”

Isabel let out a small breath that almost sounded like a laugh. “I’d like that.”

Liam turned before the moment could settle too deeply and walked back out, his steps already carrying purpose again.

The guards were waiting.

“Bring him,” Liam said.

Moments later, the spy guard stood in front of him, the confidence from before replaced with something tighter, less certain.

Liam didn’t raise his voice.

“Tell me everything you know about Darius,” he said.

The guard swallowed. “And if I don’t?”

Liam stepped closer, his gaze steady. “I’ll make sure your end is painful and agonizing for every crime you committed against your king.”

A pause.

Liam held his gaze. “There’s too much at stake. If you tell me something useful, then the death penalty will be off the table.”

The guard hesitated, then nodded.

By the time he finished talking, the shape of what was coming had changed.

Liam didn’t wait.

Ethan, he said again through the mind link.

Yes.

We have more, Liam replied. Enough to act.

A brief silence.

Then—

Then we move.

Liam’s gaze lifted toward the distance beyond the palace walls, where the forest stretched into shadow.

“Tonight,” he said.

And this time, nothing in him questioned it.