CHAPTER 80: SHOW ME THE TRUTH

Josie

Michelle’s smirk was enough to make my skin crawl.

"You were the one who set him up!" I screamed, my voice raw with fury. My hands were clenched so tightly that my nails bit into my palms. "You did this, Michelle! You’ve been smug ever since it happened—like you were proud of it!"

Michelle didn’t flinch. Her lips curved into a cruel, triumphant smile as she folded her arms across her chest and stared down her nose at me like I was a child throwing a tantrum. "You’re such a damn idiot, Josie," she sneered. "No one forces a man to drop his pants. If Kiel got caught with them down, then maybe, just maybe, he wanted it."

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. My breath hitched, my mouth went dry, and for a moment, I stood there—completely still. Then the heat rushed to my head, and I turned on my heel and stormed off.

I needed proof. I needed something. Anything.

I tore through the hallways like a woman possessed, not caring about the maids I nearly collided with or the stunned looks thrown my way. I reached my room and yanked the door open, rushing to the drawer where I had last seen it. My hands trembled as I grabbed my phone and opened the browser.

I typed the site name. Nothing.

I tried again, different keywords. Still nothing.

My stomach twisted. No. No, no, no.

They wiped it. The Alphas must have erased it from the web. Scrubbed it clean. Like it had never happened.

Tears stung my eyes, and I slammed the phone down on the bed, screaming into my hands. This couldn’t be real. I wasn’t crazy—I saw it. I saw the damn video.

I couldn’t sit still. My skin was crawling, my thoughts were spiraling, and something inside me screamed that I needed to face him. I had to look Kiel in the eye and ask him myself.

Without thinking, I ran. My bare feet slapped the cold floors as I charged down the hallway, ignoring the startled gasps and footsteps behind me. I didn’t stop until I reached his door. I raised my fists and pounded on it with everything I had.

"Kiel!" I yelled. "Open the door!"

It creaked open after a few seconds, and there he stood, disheveled and drawn, dark circles under his eyes and a haunted look that clung to him like a shadow. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days—but I didn’t care.

I pushed past him and barged in without waiting for permission.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked hoarsely, but I spun on him, already shaking with fury.

"I want to see the video," I snapped. "Show it to me."

"I don’t have it."

"Liar!" I screamed, my voice breaking at the edges. "Don’t lie to me, Kiel! You have it—you all saw it! I need to see it with my own eyes. You owe me that much!"

He took a slow step toward me. "Josie, please. Just calm down and listen—"

"No!" I tried to push past him, but his hand shot out and grabbed my wrist. Before I knew it, I was pulled back sharply, and my back collided with his chest. He wrapped his arms around me tightly, trapping me in place.

"Let go of me!"

"Please," he whispered, his voice cracking. "Please listen to me."

His grip wasn’t hurting me, but I was shaking. I couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. The nearness of him—his scent, his warmth—everything about him overwhelmed me.

"I’ll talk to Thorne," he said softly into my hair. "He’s still investigating, and he has a copy. I’ll ask him to give it to you. I swear, Josie, I don’t have it right now. I didn’t want to hurt you more than I already have."

I squeezed my eyes shut as tears spilled hot down my cheeks. My body trembled with the force of all my pent-up emotions—rage, sadness, confusion. I didn’t even know what to believe anymore. But I knew one thing.

"I need to see it," I choked out. "If I don’t, I’ll go crazy. Everything will make sense then. Or maybe it won’t. But I have to see it."

He slowly loosened his arms around me, and when I turned to face him, he reached out and gently brushed a strand of hair away from my face.

"Wait in my office," he said. "Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be back."

When he opened the door for me, I realized several guards were waiting outside—silent, stiff, watching. They must’ve followed me when I ran. Thorne’s orders, probably.

Even now, even with everything going on, he still had them watching over me.

I walked slowly toward Kiel’s office, not saying a word as the guards followed behind. Once inside, I paced. Back and forth. Back and forth. The walls felt like they were closing in, and I didn’t know what to expect. My stomach was a bundle of nerves.

I couldn’t stop thinking about Michelle. About her smug smile and her bitter words.

She enjoyed this.

She wanted this to happen.

And yet... the Alphas still trusted her. Still thought she was some good little soul. But I knew her. I had known her for years. She wasn’t innocent. She never was.

Maybe it really was a trick. Maybe I had been so blinded by pain and betrayal that I hadn’t stopped to ask the right questions.

But if this was a setup—if she had played everyone, especially me—then I needed to know for sure.

I sank into the chair behind Kiel’s desk and wrapped my arms around myself. My skin felt too tight for my body. My heart wouldn’t slow down.

Minutes passed like hours.

Finally, the door creaked open, and Kiel stepped in, holding a sleek black tablet in his hand. His face was unreadable, but his eyes... his eyes looked haunted.

He walked to me slowly, handed me the device, and stepped back.

"You can see it now," he said quietly.

I didn’t even hesitate. My fingers trembled as I opened the file and hit play.

The screen flickered to life.

It was grainy, but clear enough to see shapes, movements. I recognized the room. Michelle’s room.

And then I saw him—Kiel—his back to the camera.

My heart raced.

He looked... off. His movements were sluggish, like he wasn’t fully there. When his face turned, it was only for a split second, but his expression... it wasn’t desire. It wasn’t awareness. It was blank. Dazed.

My breath caught.

He wasn’t in control.

I rewound and watched again.

Same thing.

Rewind.

Play.

Same thing.

Over and over, I stared at the screen until the images burned into my retinas. My mouth felt like cotton, and the world around me faded.

Then, slowly, I lifted my gaze to Kiel.

His eyes were on me, pain etched deep into every line of his face.

"Tell me," I whispered, my voice hoarse. "Tell me exactly what happened that day."