Vera stood frozen in the bridge's dim glow, her purple wavy hair catching the flicker of the consoles, her purple eyes wide, breath shallow, as the medic bay's audio feed played through her earpiece.
Olivia's scream—"Your sister raped him!"—hit like a shockwave, followed by Aster's wail, the truth about Syn's ordeal with Ila spilling out in brutal detail.
Vera's heart raced, her mind scrambling to piece it together.
Syn, caught by Ila, tortured, violated, three years ago, Vera, Pako, and Aster had been left behind, abandoned when he ditched the pirates without a word.
Her thoughts darkened, connecting dots that painted a damning picture: Syn had flirted with Ila, the Kingdom's heir, to manipulate her, to seize power, using his charm like a weapon. And them?
Vera, Pako, Aster—were they just tools for his rebellion, pawns discarded when a shinier prize appeared?
A bitter thought clawed its way up, cold and vicious: He deserved it.
