Chapter 12 No Way Back

Aria's wrists still burned from the ropes, but the sting was nothing compared to the weight of the decision hanging over her.

Go with Killian.

Stay with Nolan.

There was no right choice.

But there was no escaping the fact that she had to make one.

She could feel both men watching her.

Nolan—worn, haunted, and full of secrets he wasn't sure she was ready to hear.

Killian—dangerous, composed, but for the first time… unsure.

The silence stretched, suffocating.

Then Killian's voice cut through it.

"Aria."

Just her name. A demand. A plea.

Her heart pounded.

She wasn't sure which she feared more—staying in the dark or stepping deeper into it.

She turned to Nolan.

"You said Killian isn't who I think he is," she said, keeping her voice steady. "Then who is he?"

Nolan exhaled.

Killian didn't move. Didn't speak.

It was Nolan who answered.

"He's the reason you're still alive."

Aria's breath caught.

Nolan leaned back against the chair, his expression unreadable.

"You think you've been chasing the truth all this time? You haven't." His gaze flickered toward Killian. "He's been feeding you pieces of it, controlling how much you see."

Aria swallowed hard.

Her mind reeled back to all the times Killian had shown up at the perfect moment, always one step ahead. The way her cases always seemed to lead back to him.

The way he never truly let her go.

Nolan's lips curved into a humorless smile.

"You haven't been chasing him, detective. He's been leading you."

Aria's pulse thundered.

She turned to Killian.

His expression was unreadable, but there was something in his eyes—something cold, resigned.

He didn't deny it.

He just watched her, waiting.

Her fingers curled into fists. "Tell me the truth."

Killian finally spoke.

"You're not ready for the truth."

Her stomach twisted.

He wasn't denying that he'd been orchestrating things.

He was simply refusing to explain why.

Anger surged through her.

"You don't get to decide that," she snapped.

Something flickered across Killian's face—a brief flash of emotion.

Regret?

Pain?

Then it was gone.

Killian exhaled sharply, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"You don't understand, Aria," he said. His voice was lower now, almost quiet. "If I tell you the truth, you won't be able to walk away."

Nolan scoffed. "She never had that choice to begin with."

Killian's gaze snapped to him.

For a moment, something unspoken passed between the two men.

A history Aria wasn't part of.

But she would be damned if she stayed in the dark any longer.

She took a step toward Killian.

"Then tell me."

Silence.

His jaw clenched.

Then, finally, he said—

"Come with me, and I will."

A Dangerous Agreement

Aria's breath hitched.

She looked at Nolan.

He didn't try to stop her.

Didn't try to convince her.

Instead, he simply said, "If you leave with him, there's no coming back."

Aria turned back to Killian.

His expression was impassive, but something in his eyes told her he knew that, too.

No more games. No more manipulation.

This was it.

A line she couldn't uncross.

Aria inhaled sharply.

Then—

She stepped toward Killian.

His hand closed around hers. Firm. Unyielding.

And in that moment, she knew—

She had just signed away the last piece of herself.

The Devil's World

Killian didn't speak as he led her out of the abandoned building.

A sleek black car was waiting, its tinted windows concealing whatever lay beyond.

He opened the door.

A choice. One last chance to turn back.

Aria didn't hesitate.

She slid inside.

Killian followed, shutting the door behind him.

The car started, the city blurring past.

She exhaled, trying to steady her pulse.

Then she turned to him.

"Talk."

Killian studied her for a long moment.

Then—

"I've been protecting you."

Aria stiffened. "From what?"

His gaze was unreadable.

"From the people who killed your parents."

Cold washed over her.

Her fingers dug into her knees.

"My parents' case was never solved," she said carefully.

"I know," Killian murmured. "Because I made sure it wouldn't be."

Her breath hitched.

His voice was calm, almost gentle.

"Your parents weren't just innocent victims, Aria. They were involved in something—something dangerous. And when they tried to walk away…"

He met her gaze.

"They were silenced."

Aria's stomach twisted.

She had spent years chasing justice, believing in the system.

But now—

Her entire world was unraveling.

She swallowed hard. "And where do you fit into this?"

A long pause.

Then—

"I was there that night," Killian said.

Aria's world stopped.

Her heartbeat pounded in her ears.

The night her parents died.

Killian had been there.

Her throat tightened. "Did you kill them?"

His jaw clenched.

"No."

Her breath caught.

"But I didn't stop it either."

Silence.

Aria stared at him, her mind a hurricane of emotions.

Hatred. Confusion. Desperation.

She wanted to scream.

But then Killian spoke again.

"Your father was working with them, Aria. With the same people who run this city from the shadows."

Her body went rigid.

"What?"

Killian exhaled.

"He wasn't just an innocent man in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was part of the very thing you're trying to destroy."

Her stomach churned.

It couldn't be true.

It couldn't.

But Killian didn't look like he was lying.

For the first time since she met him—he looked like a man burdened by the weight of truth.

A truth she was nowhere near ready for.

The car slowed.

She turned toward the window.

A mansion loomed in the distance, shrouded in darkness.

Aria inhaled shakily.

This was it.

She had stepped into Killian's world.

And now—

There was no going back.