Chapter 33
Violet
I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand, my mind racing. If Roman didn't kill Cal, then who did? And why?
I knew I didn’t have any tangible proof of Roman’s innocence; only his word and a very strong feeling that I’d been wrong to doubt him. But there was just too much sorrow in his eyes for any of it to be a lie.
“Roman,” I finally said, my voice hoarse. “I… I believe you. You really did love my sister.”
He lifted his head slowly, his face blotchy and wet with tears. For a long moment, he just stared at me. Then he nodded. “More than anything,” he said. “Now that she’s gone… I feel like I have nothing. I can barely even sleep, because all I can think about is her.”
“I understand,” I murmured.
He dragged a hand across his face, trying to compose himself. “I’ve tried so hard to find out who killed her. To get justice for her. But I’m stuck. Totally fucking stuck,” he said roughly. “I feel like I’m just living the same day, over and over again.”
“I know the feeling,” I said.
He swallowed hard and met my eyes. “So will you help me?” he asked. “Help me find her killer?”
I exhaled heavily, shoulders slumping. “I would if I could. But honestly, Roman, you were my one and only suspect.”
He let out a sigh. “I figured that might be the case when you pulled a knife on me and accused me of killing her earlier,” he said, rubbing his jaw.
“I was actually pretty mad about that at first, to be honest. Kneejerk response to always being the suspect, I guess. But then I simmered down a little, and I realized… if I could get you to believe me, we could swap our stories and information. Pool our resources. There are things you might know that I don’t, and vice versa. ”
“That’s actually a good point,” I said, nodding slowly. “Like her friends, for example. I’ve been able to talk to them, but you haven’t. Because they all—”
“Hate my fucking guts?”
“Yeah.” My lips pressed into a thin line. “They definitely think you did it.”
“But you don’t. Not anymore. You believe me.”
I nodded again. “I never thought I’d say this, but… yes. I believe you, and I’ll do what I can to help you.” I paused, choosing my next words carefully. “But… I’d like you to help me with a few things too.”
“Anything.” Roman sat up straighter. “Just name it.”
“Well, firstly, I’d like you to tell me why Julian put my name on the List.”
His forehead creased. “I haven’t directly asked him about it, so I can only speculate,” he replied. “But based on the conversation we had today… I think he did it to protect you.”
“Protect me?” My brows shot up. “How? And why?”
“I know how it sounds, but hear me out. When you transferred to BHU, the Council got worried. They thought you might start looking into what happened, and then you’d find out about me and the List. And from there, you might take it to the media.
Or put it all online. Get the whole world to start speculating and poking around in Club business. That could be catastrophic for us.”
“Right,” I said, brows knitting.
“They tasked Julian with surveilling you. His job was to report back on your activities. See if their suspicions were correct.”
I knew it.
I’d been right about Julian all along. He had been trailing me to see if I was looking into Roman and the Club.
“If they were correct, you would’ve been perceived as a Club enemy, and things would’ve gone badly for you,” Roman went on.
A chill ran through me that had nothing to do with the damp air. “How badly?”
“Well… the Council probably wouldn’t have ordered you to be killed, but they definitely would've made your life very difficult. Destroyed your reputation, got you expelled from school, ruined any chance of a future career. Made you disappear in every way that matters.” His expression was grim.
“The Club has a long reach, Violet. When they want someone silenced, they have many tools at their disposal.”
“Right,” I muttered. “So that’s how you found out I’ve been investigating things. Julian told you.”
“No. I only figured it out today, when you reacted so badly to seeing me,” Roman said, lifting a palm.
“That’s the thing: Julian lied. He told the Club you weren’t looking into your sister’s death at all.
Said you were just a grieving girl trying to move on with her life; nothing more.
So they stopped viewing you as a threat. ”
I blinked. “Oh.”
“He knew they might get suspicious eventually, so just in case, he put you on the List to offer you further protection. Because as his wife, you become untouchable,” he said. “It's one of our most sacred rules. You don't ever touch another member's wife. The penalty for it is severe.”
I stared at him. “What kind of penalty?”
“It depends on how they touch the woman. If it’s an affair, things aren’t so severe, because she hasn’t been hurt, and she would’ve consented to it,” he explained.
“But if you hurt or kill a wife… the penalty is death, because it’s considered an act of war against that member. The ultimate betrayal.”
“Wait,” I said, my mind suddenly racing. “If that's true, then… what happens if Cal's killer turns out to be another Club member? Would they be killed? Even though you two weren’t technically married yet?”
Roman's jaw tightened. “I’d kill him myself,” he said in a low voice. “Without question. And I wouldn’t face any consequences for it, because that's what happens when a member betrays another member in such a fundamental way. Execution.”
I swallowed hard, processing this. Then another thought struck me. “What would the penalty be for Julian? For lying to the Council about me even though it could’ve put the whole Club at risk?”
Roman's expression grew somber. “Probably the same,” he said quietly.
The cell suddenly felt even colder. “So… you're saying Julian risked his life to hide the fact that I was looking into Cal’s death?”
“Yes.” He held my gaze. “My brother has put everything on the line to keep you safe. His position in the Club, his reputation, and most importantly, his life. Because if the Council discovers what he's done, they could execute him for treason.”
I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think past the roaring in my ears. Julian had risked everything. For me. A girl he barely knew, who'd been investigating his Club, who'd given him every reason to turn her in.
“Why?” I whispered. “Why would he do that for me?”
“I had the same question at first, but then I confronted him, and it all became clear, just from the look in his eyes,” he said. “He’s fallen for you, Violet.”
“No, that’s not possible,” I said, slowly shaking my head. “We barely even know each other.”
Roman gave me a sad smile. “When Julian decides he wants something, it happens very fast, and he becomes utterly single-minded in his pursuit. Nothing can stop him. That single-mindedness might seem a bit crazy, but it also translates into pure devotion and fierce loyalty.” He paused.
“I'm willing to bet he fell for you the moment he met you.
Since then, he's done everything within his power to ensure your safety. Even if it meant betraying his own Club.”
I blinked, trying to comprehend it, but the whole thing still made zero sense to me.
Julian couldn't possibly be in love with me. He'd protected me, sure, but he'd also stalked and terrorized me for weeks. Sent me threatening texts and broken into my dorm to drench me in blood and paint intimidating messages on my wall.
That wasn't love. That was obsession and possessiveness that had twisted into an entitled sense of ownership.
Wasn't it?
“You said you wanted help with a few things,” Roman said, breaking me out of my reverie. “What else did you need?”
I straightened and took a deep breath. “I understand that Julian brought me here to protect me, but honestly… I don’t want to be here.
I don’t want to go through the training, and I don’t want to be away from my friends.
I just want to go home,” I said. “Is there any way you could make that happen? A way that keeps us all safe from the Council?”
He was silent for a moment, his expression sympathetic but resigned. “I’d like to help you, Violet. And whether you stay or not is ultimately your choice. But I have to say, I really don’t think it’s a good idea for you to leave,” he finally said. “Not yet.”
“Why not?”
“Because Julian’s right. The safest place you could possibly be right now is here at the estate,” he said.
“Think about it. If you demand to leave after just one day, it's going to look suspicious.
The Council will wonder why Julian's Selection is so desperate to get out of here.
They'll start asking questions, maybe even launch an investigation.
And trust me, that's the last thing any of us want—the Council turning the Eye of Sauron on you, so to speak.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but he lifted a palm, cutting me off.
“I know it's not ideal. I know you want your freedom.
But the training isn't bad. It's intense, and you might have to do some things you don’t want to do.
But you won't get hurt. Ever. I can promise you that,” he said.
“And here's the thing: you don't have to marry Julian once it’s all over. You can say no. But…” He hesitated.
“Please let him down gently. Like I said before, he's risked everything for you.”
I looked away, guilt twisting in my stomach. “Me saying no to the marriage won't look suspicious?” I asked. “Won't it make the Council question why I went through all the training in the first place?”
Roman shook his head. “No, because part of the training involves a trial that’s basically a proving ritual.
Once you've completed that, you're in. You know the secrets, and the Council trusts you completely.” He paused.
“A little while after that, you can say you’ve decided you don't want a future with Julian after all, and you can walk away.
They'll make you sign an NDA, of course, but you'll be free to go.
And you'll be safe, because they'll know you're not a threat.”
“When does this proving ritual happen?” I asked warily.
“It’s the first trial. Just one month into the training,” he replied. “The whole training period is three months, if you decide to stay even longer.”
I closed my eyes, exhaling deeply. One month stuck here, locked away from the outside world. One month of Julian's intense, suffocating attention. One month of pretending I wanted any of this.
I wasn’t sure I could handle that. Especially when my captor was a possessive stalker who’d somehow managed to convince his own brother that he was in love with me.
“There is one thing I can do for you,” Roman said quietly, obviously noticing my hesitation. “To make things easier.”
I opened my eyes. “What?”
“When we're working on finding Cal's killer, I'll give you my phone so you can call your friends. Let them know you're okay,” he said. “Obviously, you can't give them any details about what's going on here. But just talking to them, easing their fears… that could help a bit, couldn't it?”
Something in my chest loosened slightly. “You'd really let me do that?”
He nodded. “Of course. They're probably worried sick about you, seeing as your name was on the List,” he said. “And honestly, it'll help our investigation too. Because once we’ve put our heads together on this, we might come up with questions only they can answer.”
I studied his face, searching for any sign of deception, but all I saw was earnest sincerity. Roman really wanted to find Cal's killer, and he was willing to bend the rules to make that happen.
“What about the Council?” I asked. “Won't they find out what we’re up to? Then you could get in trouble for covering up my investigation.”
He shook his head. “Not if we're careful. We can meet in your room, because there’s no surveillance in the suites, so no one will overhear us.” He leaned forward, elbows on his knees.
“Look, Violet, we want the same thing here—justice for Cal—and right now, working together is our best chance of getting it. Also, it’s actually easier for us to do that if you’re here. So… please stay. Just for a while.”
I thought about Cherry, Jeremiah, Ginny, and Dylan. They'd tried so hard to protect me during the hunt, and I'd been ripped away from them. They were probably terrified, thinking I was being tortured or brainwashed or worse.
If I could call them, I could at least let them know I was alive. That I was okay, relatively speaking. And a month wasn't forever. I could endure that if it meant solving Cal's murder and eventually walking away from all of this.
“Okay,” I finally said. “I'll stay. For now. But I want to talk to my friends as soon as possible. Today, if we can manage it.”
Roman's expression brightened with hope. “Yeah, we can do that,” he said. “But for now, I better get you back to your room, before my brother starts to think I’ve hurt you.”
“What do you think he’ll do when he sees you?” I asked.
Roman's expression darkened. “He’ll probably try to kill me.”
“You're kidding.”
“I'm really not.” He let out a humorless laugh. “When I was angry at him earlier, I threatened to turn him into the Council. I never would’ve done it, of course. I just said it because I was fucking pissed. And then I drugged and kidnapped his Selection. In his eyes, that’ll be—”
He stopped abruptly, head tilting. I heard it too. Footsteps echoing down the stone corridor outside; quick, purposeful strides growing louder with each passing second.
Julian had already found us.