?Chapter 1135:


    Pattie’s name shed on the caller ID.


    A prickling dread crept up her spine.


    Hands trembling, she answered and heard Pattie’s rapid,bored breaths. “Maia…”


    Maia’s chest tightened as she hurried to ask, “How is Rnd?”


    “About him? He’s fine. I’m forcibly relocating him right now. Can’t talk!”


    Then the connection dropped without warning.


    Maia raised her eyes and met Zoey’s deep, unreadable stare.


    “You must have missed Siena’s three questions just now,” Zoey said, standing slowly. She crossed the small distance between them and held up three fingers. “First, if I truly wanted Rnd gone, he would not still be alive. Why would he have managed to survive in Wront all this time?”


    One finger curled inward as Zoey pressed on. “Second, I’ve treated you like a daughter, so why would I ever force you into an impossible choice? Do you think I’m blind to what ties you have with Rnd? Every step you take outside, I already know.”


    Another finger folded down.


    A weary breath escaped Zoey’s lips. “And third, is my nephew not good enough for you? Do you prefer another man so much that you’re here begging for him? If Chris has fallen short in any way, say it, and I’ll make sure he corrects himself.”


    All three fingers closed into a fist as Zoey leaned closer. “Do you want to know what wounds me the most, Maia? It isn’t your absence after you left prison. I never wanted you to visit me anyway, because your presence would only expose our bond. That exposure would be dangerous for you and for me.”


    Maia bit her lower lip, struggling to find words.


    She grasped the point Zoey was making, yet this time, she refused to risk Rnd’s life. She had to confirm this with Zoey to be at ease.


    “Why, then, did you want him gone?” Maia snapped, lifting her chin as years of doubt and questions finally spilled out.


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    An answer was what she craved. She needed the truthid bare. “Earlier, you were ying at intimidation, trying to scare me into sending Rnd away. So tell me inly. What did he actually do to deserve this?”


    “He’s trying to reverse a verdict for me,” Zoey replied, speaking with the calm of someone noting a minor inconvenience rather than a threat.


    Rising slowly, she turned her attention to the crumbling silhouette of the prison beyond the windows. “Have you ever wondered what restrains me, Maia? Sit still. I’m going to exin it to you now.”


    Zoey’s gaze fixed on the barrier ahead, and Maia instinctively followed it, noticing the towering walls crowned with electric wires. The metal strands stretched tight and caught the sunlight, gleaming like des.


    Memories stirred in Maia’s mind, drawing her back to another time.


    Four years earlier, when Zoey had first led her out of the prison gates, the moment had felt surprisingly ordinary—almost like stepping out of her own home. Nothing about it seemed forced or difficult. At that time, she had asked Zoey, “What is it that keeps you tied to this prison?”


    To Maia’s eyes, Zoey had never looked like a captive. Instead, she carried herself as though this fortress belonged to her. Even though she had the freedom to leave whenever she wanted, Zoey always returned.


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