Chapter 152: Sister (2)
Ophelia closed the door to her suite with a soft click, then stood there for a moment, listening. Nothing. The hush of the corridor beyond was too quiet to be soothing. She pressed her back against the polished wood and let out a shaky breath, her fingers clutching her small clutch bag more tightly than necessary. Her nails dug into the fabric, but she did not stop.
She moved slowly, trying not to look at the mirrored panels along the walls; Serathine had eyes everywhere. But not here. Not in her private room. Not inside the drawer beneath the second vanity, hidden behind the fake bottom that only she could pull up with a sharp twist of her thumb.
Her fingers fumbled on the first try.
"Come on," she muttered, biting the inside of her cheek.
The panel gave way, and the old burner phone slid forward into her palm like a secret reborn. Her heart raced; she had brought this phone with her after Misty decided to run without her. No one told her the truth, but she had known. Misty always had a plan. Always.
She sat on the edge of her bed, cross-legged in her expensive skirt, the fabric creasing beneath her. Her nails tapped against the plastic casing—click, click, click—before she finally powered it on. The screen lit up dull blue, flickering once, then holding. A breath she didn’t realize she was holding slipped through her teeth.
This was the last thread Misty left her. Not in words or notes, but in the rhythm of every plan she’d ever whispered. If things went wrong, if Lucas awakened, if the court turned on them, contact Odin. Lucas may have been the big prize, but she was always the spare key. The backup and the one that wouldn’t be discarded.
She typed with steady thumbs, her knees drawn closer as if to shield the message from the room itself.
Lucas is returning to the capital. He will be present at Misty’s hearings. They won’t let Christian near him, but you need to move. He won’t be unguarded for long.
NovelFire
She didn’t read it twice. Just hit send.