James turned to me, his expression a mix of remorse and frustration. “I never knew what they were up to with you. I’m not part of this!” He sounded strained, like he was desperately trying to hold onto whatever shred of innocence he had left.
“You didn’t know because you wouldn’t have been able to do what needed to be done,” Caden snapped, his temper finally flaring. “You gotattachedto her, and Stephen neededmeto step in.”
He inhaled sharply. “I did what needed to be done, and you can cower behind it all you want, but you’re still part of this, youasshole.”
Caden’s voice dripped with disdain before he reined it in, slipping his mask of easy, practiced charm back into place—cool, detached, unreadable.
The true dark prince of deception.
My focus snapped back to James.
I held my breath, waiting—for him to deny it, to push back, to fight. To lash out at Caden, furious at the accusation. But he did none of those things.
Instead, he swallowed hard, and terror began to creep into the corners of my mind. My pulse thundered, as my reality started closing in. As if the ground beneath me was shifting.
“What does he mean?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
Please, tell me something I can handle.
Everyone fell silent, leaving the room taut with unspoken words. Then Stephen began to speak, his tone softer, almost reflective.
“Emma, there’s a lot you don’t know. And for you to understand what we did, what wealldid, we need to tell you a long story.”
I hadn’t missed his emphasis on the word “all.”
“I’ve got time,” I replied softly, while fear pulsed through me, a razor’s edge against my ribs. Whatever truth was about to surface, I somehowknew—it would tear my world apart.
He took a deep beath. “Do you know when the concept of a Great Exposure first came about?”
I nodded quickly. “Youhad the idea sixteen years ago.”
Stephen rubbed his mouth thoughtfully. “That’s not entirely accurate. The concept of a global reveal was conceived long before I was even involved. But the idea of a consensus, a unified approach before any of it would take place—yes, such was my initiative.”
He paused, searching for the right words.
“So you might understand why I feel responsible?” he continued, his question tinged with regret.
“Stop justifying what you did and get to it,” Caden snapped, clearly as impatient as me.
“I don’t understand,” I said warily, trying to grasp the shifting dynamics. “I thought your goal was to achieve a global consensus before exposing ourselves to humans?”
He dipped his head, solemn and deliberate. "For thirteen years, I did everything in my power to prevent war—to make sure everyone was in agreement before exposing ourselves. To make sure we wouldn’t repeat the same mistakes that once led to the battle of ’59. For thirteen years, it was my goal, yes.”
I swallowed hard, anxiety creeping into my voice. “Not anymore?”
Stephen shook his head slowly. “No.”
“So you’re not Radicals,” I said, pointing at him and Caden, “but you’re against the Great Exposure?”
“Yes,” Caden replied, his posture firm with conviction. “As I said, we’re Resistants. We fight against the Radicals, but we’re also fighting the Great Exposure. And so is James.”
I turned my head quickly toward James, my heart pounding in my chest. “You are?” I whispered, the question barely escaping my lips, thick with disbelief.
James’s jaw clenched, before he gave me a curt nod.Really? A fucking nod?
“Why?” I pressed, my tone harsher.
But he didn’t bother replying.
