"The sharpest blades are the ones hidden closest to your back."
The chamber was thick with silence, the kind that carried weight, the kind that filled spaces between words that were better left unspoken. The betrayal had been right under our noses, and yet neither of us had seen it coming.
Asher stood at the war table, his hands pressed against the polished wood, his expression unreadable. Across from him, I watched as the reality of the situation settled in his bones, layer by layer.
“This has to be a mistake,” he finally said, his voice rough.
I wanted to agree. I wanted to find a reason, an excuse, something that made this less of what it was. But the evidence was sitting right there, scattered across the table in ink and parchment, in signed orders and sealed messages, all tying hi
