amdauthor

Synopsis: The Sins That Bind Us

Phileo killed her family. Evelyne knows this. And yet—she walks beside him.

She should have hated him. She should have sought vengeance. But the world is never so simple. The man who tore her life apart is also the only one who can help her uncover the truth—the truth about why her parents were marked for death, the truth about the shadowed hands that still pull the strings from the dark.

But blood cannot be washed away so easily.

With every step, Phileo is forced to confront the weight of his sins, the ghost of the girl he left behind, now grown into a woman who refuses to break. Evelyne does not forgive. She does not forget. And though she needs him now, one day, she will have to decide—justice or survival.

Because when the past finally catches up to them, neither of them may walk away alive.

TruthUntold

The forest swallowed them whole.

Phileo didn't speak as he led Evelyne and Alsiel deeper into the trees, moving with purpose despite the exhaustion weighing on his limbs. The night pressed in around them—silent, save for the distant rustling of leaves. No sounds of pursuit. No hurried footsteps behind them.

Because they weren't being chased.

Evelyne slowed her pace, glancing over her shoulder. "This doesn't feel right."

Alsiel wiped blood from his dagger with a flick of his wrist. "That's because it isn't."

Phileo didn't respond. He knew what they were both thinking—why did Dorian let them go?

He could still hear the bastard's voice in his head.

His grip tightened on the hilt of his sword. Sloppy? No. He had been calculating. Dorian wasn't playing fair.

They hadn't been spared. They had been set up.

After nearly an hour of riding in tense silence, they finally stopped by a small river, hidden beneath the dense canopy. The moonlight barely touched the water's surface. Phileo dismounted first, his movements controlled, calculated. He was thinking. Planning.

Evelyne and Alsiel followed suit, their horses panting from the hard ride.

"Alright," Alsiel exhaled, stretching. "Mind telling us why we're still alive?"

Phileo removed his sword belt and knelt by the river, washing the dried blood from his hands. "Dorian doesn't waste his time." His voice was steady. Cold. "If he let us go, it's because we're already heading where he wants us."

Evelyne tensed. "Then why not kill us back there?"

Phileo flicked the water from his fingers before standing. "Because the Order doesn't just kill. They corner." His gray eyes locked onto hers. "Dorian is making sure we have no escape."

Alsiel clicked his tongue. "Great. Love being a rat in a maze." He sheathed his dagger. "So what's the plan? Keep running?"

"No." Phileo's answer was immediate. "We don't run."

Evelyne crossed her arms. "Then what?"

Phileo met her gaze. His eyes were sharp, unwavering. "We go where they want us to."

A sharp intake of breath. Evelyne's fists clenched. "That's insane."

Evelyne's heart pounded. She hated that he was right.

Alsiel ran a hand through his hair. "Fine. So we walk into the trap. Then what?"

Phileo turned, gazing out into the darkened forest.

Chapter 31: A Fragile Respite