"Ava, you don't have the whole story." Leaning back in the velvet recliner beside the fireplace, Aria said in a low, thoughtful tone.
The teacup I was holding shook a little as I froze in mid-step. She didn't speak in the brittle tone I had become accustomed to. The broken Aria who had hardly spoken in those early days was not this.
"What do you mean?" Carefully placing the cup on the table between us, I asked.
She cocked her head, a little, almost derisive smile curving her lips. "I mean, there are aspects of me that you could never have predicted. Rogan is unaware of certain things. I've made sure he won't do certain things.
The room appeared to get smaller, and the tension in the air increased. "What are you talking about, Aria? Following all of your hardships, following Victor's treatment of you—
Her comments cut like a razor through my statement, "Victor didn't do anything to me I didn't allow."
Startled, I blinked. "What?"
There was a low, cold laugh in her voice. You've always been so innocent, Ava. always viewing others as you would like them to be rather than as they truly are. To put it simply, I wasn't Victor's victim. His accomplice was me.
Every syllable of her confession was like a bomb going off in my head. I gazed at her, looking for some indication on her face that this was some cruel joke, but all I saw was calculating certainty, cold.
I shook my head and remarked, "That's not possible." "You wouldn't, would you?"
"Would I not?" Aria stood up and drew closer to me, her motions elegant and predatory. Why do you suppose Victor had faith in me? What made me always one step ahead of everyone else, in your opinion?
I added in a barely audible whisper, "You said he held you captive." "You expressed a desire to get away."
Her smile widened as she replied, "And you believed me." Both you and Rogan. Isn't that what makes it so beautiful? The tears, the shaking hands, the damsel in distress act—it always works.
My gut roiled as the sobering knowledge that she was telling the truth clashed with my incredulousness.
"Why are you just now telling me this?" I asked, trying to steady my voice as the panic tore at my chest.
She stated plainly, "Because I'm tired of pretending." "Are you aware of how draining playing the victim can be? To wait for the ideal time, the ideal chance to initiate contact?”
She said something that made me shiver. "Take the initiative? Aria, what are you planning?
The sound of her laughter made my skin crawl once more. You're asking the incorrect question, Ava. You should be asking yourself, "What have I already done?"
With her revelation weighing heavily on me, I staggered back. My thoughts were racing, trying to piece together bits and pieces of conversations and events that now seemed poisoned.
"The rescue," I said, frightened. "When Rogan and the others discovered you that evening... Was that also a part of your plan?
Something dark and menacing shone in her eyes. It was, of course. Do you believe Victor was unaware of their arrival? I ensured it. I was exactly what I was supposed to be—just the right amount of relief and just the proper amount of dread. And now I'm exactly where I should be.
"Why?" Fury rising to the top, I demanded. Why would you act in this way? Rogan put everything on the line for you. He—
She interrupted me with a harsh remark, "He was a pawn." "A way to achieve a goal. Rogan was consistently dependable, honorable, and fervent in his desire to save me. And you were the icing on the cake. The ideal diversion while I set the scene to keep him off balance.
The treachery burned like acid in my veins, and my hands balled into fists. My voice broke as I said, "He loves you." "He will stop at nothing to help you, even now."
"And that's his weakness," she shrugged. "People who are in love become stupid. At risk. It prevents people from seeing the reality.
With my heart racing, I retreated a step. Aria, you won't get away with this. Rogan and I are going to stop you no matter what you're planning.
She grinned, her self-assurance unwavering. Do you believe you can outwit me? After everything I've planned and accomplished? Ava, you're in over your head.
However, I refused to be intimidated by her. Not after everything, not now. "You undervalue us," I firmly remarked. "Rogan and I—"
"You and Rogan?" She raised an eyebrow in interruption. "Are you certain he'll pick you over me? After everything I've convinced him of, after everything we've been through?
Her remarks struck a chord, planting doubts that I struggled to stifle. Although my voice lacked the confidence I desired, I answered, "You don't know him as well as you think."
With a cunning smile, she asked, "Don't I?" "How about you ask him directly? When it comes down to it, we'll see who he believes: the girl who suddenly decided she was a part of his universe or his "innocent" Aria.
I gave her a fierce look so she couldn't see how hurtful what she had said was. "You won't win," I answered, maintaining my composure in spite of my internal conflict.
She continued to smile. "We'll check on that."
Aria's voice stopped me dead as I turned to go, my mind already racing with ways to alert Rogan.
"Oh, and Ava," she continued nonchalantly, as if we were talking about the weather. "You may want to move quickly. He has already left to find me. And let's just say I've left him a few surprises when he discovers the truth.
Her laughter reverberated behind me, a menacing tune that followed me into the night, making my blood run cold.
Desperate to find Rogan before it was too late, I dashed through the hallways as the storm outside intensified, the rain beating against the windows.
However, when I arrived at his lodgings, his possessions were gone and the place was deserted.
"No," I said, fear growing in the depths of my being.
On the bed was a note with hurriedly written lines that were a stomach hit.
"Remain here. I'll take care of this. –Rogan
As I held the note to my chest, tears clouded my vision. I kept thinking about Aria's words—her cold-blooded assurance, her premeditated confession.
Rogan was now directly stepping into her trap.