Chapter 64: Shattered Trust

“It is,” Gideon said softly. “The one behind it all—the one who’s been planning your downfall from the very beginning—is Julian.”

The name hit me like a physical blow, knocking the breath from my lungs. Julian, the one who had always been there for me, who had guided me, fought beside me—he was the betrayer?

“No,” I said, my voice barely more than a whisper. “You’re lying. You have to be lying.”

“I wish I were,” Gideon said, his voice filled with regret. “But it’s the truth, Sera. Julian has been working with the enemy from the start. He’s been using you, using all of us, to further his own agenda.”

I staggered back, my mind reeling. Julian… My mentor, my friend, the man I had trusted more than anyone else in this world—he was the one behind it all?

The betrayal cut deeper than any blade, leaving me raw and bleeding inside. I wanted to scream, to cry, to lash out at the world for the cruelty of it all. But I couldn’t. Not yet.

There was still more to understand, more to uncover.

“Why?