The silence in the cell crept under my skin.
I don't know how long I sat there—minutes? Hours? Time doesn't exist when you're locked in a box, left to your thoughts and your heartbeat.
But one thing was clear.
This wasn't random.
This wasn't some accident.
I was targeted.
Because of Julian?
Because of something I don't even know about myself?
I pulled my knees up to my chest, hugging them like they could protect me. My heart was still pounding from that interrogation, and the man they called Bullet—God, just the memory of his voice made my blood run cold.
But it was what he said about me that haunted me the most.
No records.
No traces.
Nothing.
A ghost? No. I am not a ghost. I'm Rose Moreau—flesh, blood, and breath.
If they couldn't find anything on me… it meant my father used his power to erase me.
He didn't protect me out of love.
He buried me out of shame.
Because of his selfishness.
Because of that woman.
The thought boiled in my chest, tightening my fists. So what now? I'm just someone's kept secret? Hidden from the world so his new wife doesn't have to face reality?
That man—Bullet—he saw something. He saw a blank slate where a girl should be. And in his world, blanks are suspicious.
But what did any of this have to do with Julian?
That's the question I kept circling back to.
I hadn't danced with Julian at the ball. I didn't parade around with him or show off anything. The only real connection we shared was behind closed doors.
That night. In his room. When I gave him a piece of me I'd never given anyone else.
And then the next morning—in the kitchen. Just a few words passed between us. Tense. Quiet. Strange.
Was someone watching? Did they see us?
I started to panic again, but I clenched my fists and forced my breath to slow down. No more tears. Not now.
I need to get out of here.
I scanned the room again. Metal bars. Concrete walls. The only light came from a tiny bulb above the door, and the only way out was locked tight.
No windows. No cracks. No hope.
Unless…
I walked to the door. Pressed my ear against it.
Footsteps. Distant voices. A television maybe?
They weren't far.
I could hear laughter.
I waited, just listening. It sounded like two guards talking. Maybe the same ones from earlier. Maybe not. But they were close.
My mind started racing.
I've been in high places before—fancy banquets, rich halls, places where danger wore a suit.
But this… this was the underworld.
And I needed to play smart.
I stepped back, sat on the bed, and stared at the door.
There's always a way out.
My mother used to say that.
Before she left.
Before everything fell apart.
I clung to that now like it was a rope.
There's always a way out.
Maybe I won't find it today.
Maybe not even tomorrow.
But I'll survive.
And when I get out of here…
Someone's going to pay.
Starting with the man behind the mask.
Bullet.
I won't forget that name.
I won't forget that voice.
And if Julian is somehow tied to all of this…
I need to warn him.
Because whatever game this is?
It's only just beginning.