Finally, I spoke. "I understand now. Why you want out. Why you're gathering evidence and planning escapes and dreaming of different lives. This is brutal. This is soul-destroying. And I understand why you need to escape before it destroys what's left of you."
Kai's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "If word gets out that I spared someone without real consequences, they'll all come for me. Every dealer, every runner, every person in this organization will think they can get away with stealing. And that means chaos. Which means I can't protect Lia. Can't protect you. The violence serves a purpose, even when it's ugly."
I reached over. Placed my hand on his thigh. Felt the muscle tense under my palm.
"I get it now. I really do. You're not cruel for the sake of it. You're trying to survive. Trying to keep the people you care about safe in a world that doesn't allow for weakness." I squeezed gently. "That's why you need me. I remind you there's something beyond this violence. Something worth fighting for. A future that doesn't involve breaking bones and spilling blood."
His hand covered mine. Squeezed back.
"You're the only thing keeping me human. The only thing reminding me I'm more than what my father made me."
We drove the rest of the way in silence. But it was a comfortable silence. An understanding.
Back at the estate, I headed toward my room. Needed to process everything. Needed to think.
Lia appeared out of nowhere, making me jump.
"Jesus, Lia. You scared me."
"Sorry." She held out a phone. Small, nondescript. "You're going to need this."
I looked at it, confused. "I alreadyhave a phone."
"That one is monitored. Hacked. Every call, every text, every website you visit gets logged and reviewed."
Ice flooded my veins. "What? By who?"
Lia hesitated. Looked genuinely uncomfortable.
"Lia. Who's monitoring my phone?"
She bit her lip. "Kai."
The word hit like a slap. "What?"
"He has access to everything on your phone. Has since the day you arrived. Standard security protocol for anyone living in the estate. My father requires it for everyone except himself." She pushed the phone into my hands. "But this one is clean. Encrypted. Untraceable. You'll need it now that my father is coming back. To communicate with Kai without leaving digital evidence."
I stared at the phone in my hands. Then back at Lia.
"Kai has been monitoring my phone this entire time?"
"I probably shouldn't have told you. He's going to kill me. But I thought you should know. Especially now." Lia's expression was apologetic. "He's not doing it to invade your privacy. It's protection. Making sure you're not trying to contact your uncle or plan an escape or anything that would put you in danger."
"He's been reading my messages. Seeing every search. Every..."
Every late-night Google search about how to tell if you're falling in love. Every article I'd read about surviving arranged marriages. Every desperate search for escape routes and safe houses and ways to disappear.
He'd seen all of it.
"I need to go." I clutched the new phone. "Thanks for this. And for telling me."
"Aria, don't be mad at him. He's just trying to protect you in the only way he knows how."
I didn't respond. Just walked away on autopilot.
The old one that Kai had been monitoring. The new one that was supposed to be safe.
Part of me was furious. He'd been invading my privacy. Watching me. Monitoring everything I did without my knowledge or consent.
