Chapter 39 — The Truth That Bleeds
The pain didn't come all at once.
It crept in slowly—quiet, sharp, and deliberate.
Kiera sat on the floor long after Lena left, her back against the wall, staring at nothing. Her sister's face replayed over and over in her mind. The hesitation. The guilt. The choice.
You sold me.
The words echoed until her chest felt too tight to breathe.
She wiped her face roughly and forced herself to stand. Crying wouldn't save her. Waiting wouldn't either. If there was a hidden panel, there was a reason for it.
She returned to the bookshelf, heart pounding, and pushed it aside again. The seam was still there. Barely visible. Intentional.
Her fingers traced the edge.
"Think," she whispered to herself. "Think."
She pressed harder this time.
Nothing.
She stepped back, scanning the room, eyes sharp now. Her gaze landed on a small camera in the corner of the ceiling—almost invisible, hidden behind a vent.
Her stomach dropped.
She wasn't just being held.
She was being watched.
Kiera raised her chin slowly and looked straight into the camera.
"If you can hear me," she said quietly, "you picked the wrong girl."
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the lights flickered.
Her heart slammed.
A soft click echoed behind her.
She spun around just as a door she hadn't noticed before slid open in the wall—revealing a narrow hallway bathed in sterile white light.
She took a step back instinctively.
This wasn't an escape route.
This was an invitation.
Her instincts screamed don't, but another voice—stronger, angrier—pushed back.
If they want you scared, don't give it to them.
Kiera squared her shoulders and stepped inside.
The door slid shut behind her.
The hallway led to a single room.
Medical. Clean. Cold.
A woman stood inside, flipping through a tablet. Not Vivienne's associate. Someone else. Younger. Professional.
"You're awake sooner than expected," the woman said calmly.
Kiera's pulse roared in her ears. "Who are you?"
"Dr. Hale," the woman replied. "You can sit."
"I'm not sitting anywhere," Kiera snapped. "You kidnapped me."
Dr. Hale sighed. "You were relocated."
"Against my will."
"Yes," the woman admitted easily. "That happens sometimes."
Kiera's breath shook. "Why?"
Dr. Hale studied her for a moment, then set the tablet down. "Do you know why Vivienne hates you?"
Kiera's jaw tightened. "Because she's cruel."
"No," Dr. Hale said softly. "Because you're inconvenient."
"Inconvenient how?"
The woman hesitated, then seemed to decide something.
"Because you weren't supposed to exist."
The words sliced through Kiera's chest.
"…What?"
Dr. Hale tapped the tablet, turning it toward her.
A file opened.
Subject: Kiera Frost.
Her knees nearly gave out.
"Your birth wasn't an accident," Dr. Hale continued. "And neither was your childhood."
Kiera shook her head violently. "Stop. I don't want to hear this."
"You need to," the woman said gently. "Because this is why your sister was easy to manipulate."
"What are you talking about?" Kiera demanded, tears burning her eyes.
Dr. Hale spoke slowly, carefully.
"Your father wasn't just abusive," she said. "He was paid."
The room spun.
"Paid… to hurt me?" Kiera whispered.
"To control you," Dr. Hale corrected. "To keep you small. Broken. Afraid."
Kiera staggered back. "You're lying."
"I wish I were," the woman replied. "Vivienne's family has been cleaning up their messes for decades. Your mother was one of them."
Kiera clutched her chest. "My mother was sick. She was poor. She—"
"She was pregnant by the wrong man," Dr. Hale said. "And paid to disappear."
Silence crushed the room.
"You were leverage," the woman continued. "A contingency."
Kiera's voice cracked. "For what?"
"For Kade Nightwell."
The name landed like a bomb.
"No," Kiera breathed. "That's not possible."
"His parents didn't die in an accident," Dr. Hale said quietly. "They were targeted."
Kiera shook her head, backing away. "Stop. Please stop."
"Kade survived," the woman continued. "And he became powerful. Powerful enough to be a threat."
Kiera's vision blurred. "So… me?"
"You," Dr. Hale said, meeting her eyes, "were insurance."
Kiera slid down the wall, sobbing now. "I didn't choose any of this."
"I know," the woman said softly. "That's why this is cruel."
Kiera looked up sharply. "Then why are you telling me?"
Dr. Hale hesitated. "Because they don't plan to let you go."
The words settled like poison.
"They said once you were separated from him," Dr. Hale continued, "you'd be… dealt with."
Kiera's entire body went cold. "Dealt with how?"
The woman swallowed. "I don't know. But no one who comes here stays long."
Kiera pressed her hands over her mouth, stifling a scream.
"I'm sorry," Dr. Hale whispered. "I truly am."
Across the city, Kade stood frozen in front of a screen.
The analyst's voice was tight. "Sir… we accessed older sealed files."
"Show me," Kade said.
The screen filled with names.
Payments.
Dates.
One name stood out.
Frost, L.
Kade's blood ran cold.
"No," he whispered.
The analyst continued. "Your parents' accident was never closed. Someone paid to bury it."
Kade's hands shook as another file opened.
A photo.
Kiera.
Age six.
Bruised.
Crying.
His vision darkened.
"She was a child," he said hoarsely.
"Yes," the analyst replied. "And she was used."
Kade slammed his fist into the desk. "Get me everything. Names. Locations. Now."
Back in the white room, Kiera wiped her face slowly.
"So my whole life," she whispered, "was a setup."
Dr. Hale didn't deny it.
Kiera stood.
Her legs trembled, but she stood.
"They underestimated one thing," she said quietly.
"What's that?" the woman asked.
Kiera lifted her chin, eyes burning.
"They taught me how to survive pain."
Dr. Hale's breath hitched.
"You should run," Kiera said. "Before they come back."
The woman hesitated—then nodded. "The panel leads to a service corridor. You have maybe ten minutes."
Kiera didn't hesitate.
She ran.
As she reached the end of the corridor, alarms blared suddenly.
Red lights flooded the walls.
A voice echoed over the intercom.
"Miss Frost," Vivienne's voice purred. "I told you not to dig."
Kiera stopped short, chest heaving.
"You were never meant to love him," Vivienne continued. "You were meant to end him."
Kiera's phone buzzed to life in her pocket.
One message.
Kade:
I know. I'm coming. Don't give up.
Her breath hitched.
Vivienne laughed over the speakers. "He won't reach you in time."
Kiera looked at the door ahead of her.
Locked.
Footsteps thundered behind her.
And for the first time since she was taken, Kiera realized the truth—
This wasn't just about keeping her away from Kade.
It was about making sure she didn't survive long enough to tell him the truth.
And the door in front of her began to open.