"You don't understand, Lyra. I did it for all of us—for the future," the traitor says, their voice shaking with guilt but firm in their beliefs.
I freeze, every muscle in my body locking as the words hit me. My heart thunders in my chest, and for a moment, I can't breathe. The weight of the betrayal crushes me, and the room feels smaller like it's closing in around me. Every sound, every breath feels like a lie now.
I stare at the person standing in front of me—my closest ally, someone I trusted implicitly. The one person I thought I could rely on. The one who, it turns out, has been working against me this entire time.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I whisper, though the words feel hollow. “You’ve been helping them?”
They nod slowly, their eyes downcast. “Yes. But it’s not as simple a
