Chapter 27: Playing with Fire
The sound of her phone hitting the floor seemed like the loudest thing in the room. Cambria stood frozen, her heart pounding in her chest. The message from Elara still glowed on the screen. "Cambria, it’s worse than we thought. We’ve uncovered a video. Elena has evidence of your connection to Maddox. She’s going to release it, and when she does, everything will come crashing down."
Her mind swirled, trying to process what this meant. A video? What kind of evidence could Elena possibly have? And how long had she been planning to use it against them?
Maddox moved toward her slowly, his face a mix of fear and guilt. "Cambria, please," he said, his voice strained. "This isn’t what you think."
She turned toward him, her eyes hard. "What do you mean, Maddox? What’s in that video? What has she been holding over us?"
He hesitated, his eyes flicking toward the floor. It was enough to confirm her worst fear. There was something. And he hadn’t told her.
"You need to be honest with me right now," Cambria demanded, her voice sharper than she intended. "What has she got? And why didn’t you tell me?"
Maddox’s expression shifted, his gaze pained. "I didn’t know she had footage. I had no idea she was recording those conversations. But I "
"You knew about the manipulation," she interrupted, her voice breaking slightly. "You knew what she was doing, how she was pulling strings, but you didn’t tell me. You kept me in the dark about everything. And now you’re telling me she has proof of our connection?" She paused, trying to steady herself. "That means she’s got us both in her grasp. She’s controlling this game, Maddox."
"I didn’t want to involve you," he said quietly, taking a step forward, his hand outstretched as if trying to reach her. "I thought I could handle it on my own. I was wrong."