The tension in the room was suffocating. Aila's hands were trembling, but she refused to let it show. The betrayal was still raw, still slicing through her, but she had no choice now. She couldn't afford to be weak. Not now. Not when the truth was so close.
Liam's gaze never left her, his expression a storm of emotions. Regret. Fear. Desperation. But Aila couldn't afford to care about his apologies anymore. Not after what he'd done.
The man in the room with them—Aila didn't even know his name—stood silently behind Liam, a look of amusement on his face. He seemed to enjoy the discomfort, the raw emotions twisting in the air between them. But Aila wasn't going to let him win. She wasn't going to let any of them win.
"You don't have to do this," Liam said quietly, his voice breaking slightly. He stepped toward her, as though to reach out, but she pulled away instinctively. The pain was too fresh. "Aila, I'm sorry. I never wanted you to be a part of this. But I… I had no choice."
"No," Aila spat, her voice sharp. "You had a choice. You chose them. You chose to lie to me, to keep me in the dark. You chose to betray me."
Liam flinched as though her words were physical blows. He opened his mouth as if to speak again, but Aila cut him off.
"Save it. I'm done listening to your excuses." Her eyes burned with anger. The key still weighed heavily in her pocket, its presence a reminder of what she had to do next. She couldn't afford to waste any more time.
The man who had been standing by the door finally spoke. His voice was low, full of menace. "Enough of this. You've both had your time to talk, but now it's time to move."
Aila's gaze snapped to him. She hadn't missed the malice in his voice, or the fact that his words were meant to control the situation. But she wasn't going to let him control her. Not anymore.
"Move?" she asked, her voice a dangerous whisper. "You think you can intimidate me? You think you can tell me what to do?"
The man's lips curled into a sneer. "You don't have a choice. You're already in too deep. You have the key, and you're not going anywhere until we get what we need from you."
Aila's pulse quickened. They knew about the key. They had known from the moment she found it, and now they were closing in. She had no idea what they would do to her once they got what they wanted, but she knew one thing for sure: She couldn't let them get their hands on it.
Liam seemed to read her thoughts, his eyes widening. "Aila, don't—" he began, but the other man stepped forward, silencing him with a raised hand.
"Enough." The man's voice was sharp, commanding. "This is your last chance. Give us the key, and we'll make sure your death is quick. Resist, and it will be slow. Painful. Your choice."
Aila's grip on the edge of the table tightened. She could feel the weight of their words, the gravity of the situation pressing down on her chest. She wasn't a fighter. Not like this. Not in a room full of people who had been planning her downfall from the start.
But she wasn't going to be a victim anymore. Not to them. Not to Liam.
The truth was, she had nothing left to lose.
Her breath steadying, Aila took a deep breath and stepped forward, her resolve hardening like steel. "You want the key?" she said, her voice cold and unwavering. "You'll have to take it from me."
The man sneered at her defiance. "Foolish girl," he muttered, before lunging toward her.
Aila reacted instinctively. She grabbed the nearest object—a metal lamp—swinging it with all her might at the man's head. He staggered back with a grunt, a look of surprise flashing across his face. For a split second, Aila thought she might have a chance.
But then, the man recovered quickly, his hand shooting out to grab her by the wrist. His grip was like iron, and his eyes were filled with fury.
"You think you can escape?" he snarled, twisting her arm painfully. "You're already too deep. You'll never escape us."
"Let her go," Liam's voice rang out from the corner of the room. He sounded almost desperate now, as if everything he had tried to protect her from was slipping away.
Aila's breath hitched as she struggled against the man's hold. The pain in her wrist was unbearable, but she gritted her teeth and fought through it. She had to get free. She had to survive.
The man's face twisted in anger. "You're not in control anymore," he said, pulling her closer, his grip tightening. "You never were."
But Aila wasn't listening to him anymore. She was listening to the quiet voice inside her, the one that told her to keep fighting. She jerked her elbow back with all the force she could muster, catching the man in the ribs. He grunted in pain and loosened his grip for just a moment.
That was all she needed.
With a swift movement, Aila spun, breaking free from his grasp and darting toward the door. She didn't care where it led. She didn't care what happened next. She just needed to get away, to regroup, to think.
But as she reached for the handle, Liam's voice stopped her cold.
"Aila… don't," he whispered, his voice barely audible. She could hear the sorrow in it, and for a moment, it almost broke her. "You can't run from this. It's bigger than both of us."
For a heartbeat, she hesitated. The weight of his words pressed down on her like a thousand bricks. She wanted to believe that she could escape, that there was still a way out. But the truth was, Liam was right. The walls were closing in.
Aila turned back, her eyes hardening with resolve. "I'm not running. I'm fighting. I will find out what happened to my mother. And I will make them pay."
Liam's face crumpled with guilt and sorrow, but Aila could see the hesitation in his eyes. She knew he didn't want her to go further down this path, but she also knew that no matter what happened, this was her fight now. She couldn't let herself be controlled by fear anymore. She couldn't let anyone stop her from uncovering the truth.
The man behind her stepped forward again, his voice cold and threatening. "You'll regret this, Aila."
"Maybe," she said, her voice steady. "But not today."
With that, she turned and bolted through the door, running into the unknown.