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𝖧𝖨𝖲 𝖶𝖨𝖥𝖤

┗━━━༻❁༺━━━┛

The classroom was quieter than usual as Sophie packed up the last of her things from her desk. The final bell had rung, and students had already trickled out, leaving behind an empty space that now felt less like hers.

"I can't believe you're really leaving," Aria's voice broke through the silence.

Sophie turned to see her friend leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, her expression somber. Aria had been her closest friend at the school, the person she shared her lunch breaks and whispered frustrations with between classes.

Sophie forced a smile. "Yeah... neither can I."

Aria sighed, stepping inside. "So that's it? You're just gonna be a councilman's wife now?"

Sophie shrugged, trying to keep her composure. "That's the plan."

Aria scoffed. "Come on, Soph. This isn't you. You love teaching. You love this job. What's really going on?"

Sophie felt a lump form in her throat. She turned back to her desk, fiddling with a loose paperclip. "It's just... what's best for my family right now."

Aria's eyes softened as she stepped closer. "If you ever need anything—anything, Sophie—promise me you'll call."

Sophie met her gaze. "I promise."

Aria pulled her into a tight hug, whispering, "I'm gonna miss you."

Sophie swallowed hard, forcing back tears. "I'm gonna miss you too."

The two stood there for a moment, holding on as if the longer they did, the less real Sophie's departure would become. But the moment passed, and Sophie pulled away, grabbing her last box.

With one final glance around the classroom, she walked toward the door, feeling like she was leaving behind more than just a job.

She was leaving behind herself.

────༻❁༺────

Sophie hadn't meant to walk in on them. She was just looking for Kai, following the sound of hushed voices coming from his bedroom. But when she pushed the door open, she froze in place.

Kai stood close—too close—to one of his male followers, their bodies angled toward each other in a way that sent a sick feeling curling in her stomach. The man's hand lingered on Kai's forearm, his gaze locked onto Kai's like he was hanging onto every word. And Kai... Kai wasn't pulling away.

Sophie's heart slammed against her ribs. "What the fuck is this?" 

Kai's head snapped toward her, but he didn't look guilty. If anything, he seemed amused. The other man, however, took a step back, awkwardly clearing his throat.

Sophie's eyes darted between them, fury bubbling under her skin. "Did I interrupt something?"

Kai exhaled, tilting his head slightly before turning to the man. "Leave."

The cult member hesitated for a second too long. Kai's expression hardened. "I said get out."

Without another word, the man lowered his head and slipped past Sophie, not daring to meet her gaze as he hurried out of the room.

Sophie crossed her arms, forcing herself to meet Kai's eyes. "What the hell was that?"

Kai smirked, stepping toward her like he was testing her patience. "What do you think it was?"

She clenched her jaw. "I think I walked in on something I wasn't supposed to see."

Kai's smirk faltered, but only for a second. He reached out, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "You're overreacting."

Sophie jerked away. "Don't do that. Don't act like I didn't just see what I saw."

Kai's expression shifted—calculating. "And what is it you think you saw?"

Sophie swallowed the lump in her throat, shaking her head. "I don't know. And honestly? I don't care." That was a lie. She cared too much, and she hated herself for it.

She turned on her heel, making for the door, but Kai's voice stopped her.

"You know you're the only one that matters, right?"

Sophie hesitated, gripping the doorframe, her back still to him.

"Are you fucking them?" she asked.

Kai blinked. "What?"

Sophie spun around, her eyes blazing. She took a step toward him.

"I said, are you fucking them?!" she shouted, her voice cracking under her anger, her betrayal. 

Kai's expression twisted, his eyes darkening with something volatile, something dangerous. He stepped toward her.

"Watch your fucking mouth," he snapped. "You don't get to talk to me like that."

Sophie refused to back down, meeting his glare with fire of her own. "Then answer the goddamn question, Kai!" she shot back. "Are you fucking them?"

In an instant, his hand lashed out, fingers clamping around her wrist. He yanked her toward him, the force of it making her stumble into his chest. His breath was hot against her face, his grip tightening just enough to make her wince.

"You don't question me," he hissed, his eyes boring into hers, unblinking. "I do everything for you. For us. And this? This is the thanks I get? Accusations?"

Sophie sucked in a shaky breath. "I see you, Kai. You think you can control me like you do them, but I'm not one of your little fucking disciples."

Kai's jaw clenched, and for a second, she thought he might actually hit her. But instead, he let out a sharp breath and released her wrist with a rough shove, making her stumble back a step.

Kai ran a hand through his hair, exhaling harshly before turning back to Sophie. "You're my wife," he said, his voice softer now, but no less threatening. "That means you trust me. That means you don't fucking question me."

Sophie's wrist throbbed, but she ignored the pain. She squared her shoulders, holding her ground even as her throat tightened. "That's not how a marriage works, Kai."

"This one does."

Kai moved closer, his presence suffocating, his eyes dark and unreadable. He reached out, his fingers threading through the hair at the nape of her neck, his grip firm but not quite bruising. The heat of his palm seared against her skin, making her breath hitch as she watched him carefully, every nerve in her body on edge.

"You are the only one I love," Kai murmured, his eyes locked onto hers with an unwavering stare. "That should be enough for you."

His words dripped with conviction, but there was something unsettling about them—like a command rather than a reassurance. Sophie's stomach twisted. She wanted to believe him, but she had seen too much, endured too much to let his words wrap around her.

 "I've seen what happens to the people you love."

Kai's expression faltered for just a fraction of a second—so quick she might have imagined it. But she knew the truth. She had seen what his love looked like, the destruction it left in its wake. She refused to be another casualty of his devotion.

With a shaky breath, she placed her hands against his chest and pushed him away. He barely moved, but the small act of defiance sent a crack through the tension between them.

Sophie clenched her jaw, her heart hammering against her ribs as she held his gaze. The anger was still there, simmering beneath the surface, but something else had crept in—something dangerous, something intoxicating. She hated him. She loved him. She wanted to run. She wanted to stay.

Kai tilted his head slightly, waiting, watching her like he always did, as if he could see every thought swirling in her mind. He was baiting her, pushing her to the edge, daring her to make a move.

And she did.

Sophie surged forward, crashing her lips against his, her fingers tangling in the fabric of his shirt as she yanked him closer. The kiss was messy, desperate—more of a battle than an act of affection. Teeth clashed, breaths mingled, and Kai groaned low in his throat, his hands gripping her hips hard enough to bruise.

Her mind screamed at her to stop, to shove him away, to remember all the ways he had hurt her, but her body betrayed her. She poured every ounce of frustration, every unsaid word, every fear into the kiss, biting down on his lip just hard enough to make him hiss.

Kai barely gave her a moment to pull away before he grabbed her wrists and flipped their positions, forcing her back against the mattress. Sophie gasped, but before she could react, he hovered over her, his breath hot against her lips, his weight pressing her into the bed.

"You like this," he murmured, his hands pinning hers on either side of her head. "You hate me, but you can't stay away."

She could still taste him on her lips, still feel the bruising grip of his hands on her skin.

"Fuck you," she spat, though there was no real bite behind it.

Kai smirked, his lips ghosting over hers. "You already are."

Her fingers threaded through his blue hair, the strands soft beneath her touch—until her grip tightened. With a sharp yank, she pulled his head back, forcing his gaze upward. The motion was rough and she relished the way his breath hitched, the way his lips parted ever so slightly in something between surprise and exhilaration.

"If you ever grab me like that again," she seethed, vibrating with anger and warning, "I will fucking kill you."

Her nails scraped against his scalp, her grip unwavering. She expected resistance, expected him to lash out or meet her rage with his own. But instead, she was met with something far more dangerous—desire.

Kai's lips curled into a slow, wicked smirk, his darkened eyes burning into hers with something primal. His breaths came heavier. Then, in a voice that was barely more than a whisper, rough and filled with something twisted and raw, he murmured,

"I'll let you."

Before she could react, his lips found the sensitive spot behind her ear. A shiver danced down her spine as he traced a line of slow, open-mouthed kisses along the column of her neck, the scrape of his teeth sending sparks through her. Then, without warning, he bit down, not hard enough to break skin, but enough to stake his claim.

Her grip in his hair loosened, fingers trembling as her body betrayed her resolve, melting against his. His hands were rough, possessive, as they traveled down her sides, bunching up the fabric of her dress. His palms skimmed over the smooth skin of her thighs.

The sound of his belt buckle jingling filled the charged silence between them as he freed himself just enough to reveal his need for her. He didn't hesitate. With a single, impatient motion, he pushed the thin cotton of her underwear aside, his fingers brushing against her heat before he thrust into her.

A sharp gasp tore from her lips, her head snapping back as he buried himself deep, filling her completely. Her nails dug into his shoulders, legs tightening around him as he slammed into her again, stealing her breath and any lingering resistance she might have had.

As he moved in perfect rhythm with her, his breath came hot and uneven against her skin. His lips traced along the curve of her jaw, then down to the shell of her ear, where his voice dropped to a possessive whisper.

"Every part of you," he murmured, his voice thick with hunger. "Every inch... is mine."

────༻❁༺────

"Winter told me everything."

Kai's voice slithered up from the basement.

Sophie hovered on the staircase. She had crept down as quietly as possible, careful not to alert the guards stationed below. From her vantage point, she could see their backs—broad, rigid, clad in blue.

"Pack of lies. Bitch is full of shit."

The voice was familiar, but Sophie couldn't place it. She barely had time to consider it before the sharp crack of flesh against flesh echoed through the basement.

She tensed. That was Kai. She was sure of it.

"I chose you, Beverly! I trusted you! I made you my equal! Why did you betray me?!"

His roar rattled through her chest, making her flinch.

Beverly Hope? The Beverly Hope? The woman who had been a polished, composed face of Michigan news? Sophie's mind spun, trying to reconcile the authoritative anchor she had seen on TV with the woman now being beaten in Kai's basement.

"You betrayed me!" Beverly's voice, raw with anger, shot back at him. "One day, you promise me equal partnership. The next, you have me in a goddamn gulag, baking fucking cookies! Your promises mean shit! You're a fraud! You don't stand for a goddamn thing!"

"I am standing up for millions of people who are finally being heard!" Kai's voice boomed."Everything I do is in service of the greater purpose! It's bigger than you, me, or any of our goddamn lives, and you are fucking it up!"

Sophie swallowed hard. He sounded completely deranged—more than usual.

She edged further down, gripping the railing until her knuckles went white. Carefully, she peeked around the corner.

The sight made her stomach churn.

Vincent lay sprawled on the cold basement floor, unmoving. Blood smeared his body. Around him stood the masked clowns—the same ones who had broken into her home, the ones who had been Kai's foot soldiers from the beginning. The guards stood rigid, eyes locked on their leader, as if waiting for his next command.

Beverly, her face swollen and bruised, glared up at Kai with unyielding defiance.

"Nothing is bigger than your ego." Beverly spat, blood staining her lip. "You don't know what the fuck you're doing from one minute to the next. You're incompetent, Kai. Just another attention whore. And if you're insecure enough to believe Winter, well, then, just kill me now. Put me out of my misery. Because the biggest mistake I ever made was believing in you. Turd."

"You were my favorite," Kai mused. "But death is too good for you. I want you to suffer." He flicked his fingers toward his men. "Take her to the isolation chamber."

Beverly snarled as hands grabbed her arms. "Rot in hell, you son of a bitch!" Her voice faded as she was dragged from the room, her struggling footsteps echoing against the cold basement walls.

Kai turned back to his audience, addressing them as if nothing had happened. "Loyalty... must be absolute. Without it, we have nothing. Now, we can move forward." His expression lifted into something close to satisfaction. "Let's all welcome our newest member."

Sophie stood frozen at the bottom of the staircase, silent tears streaking her face. She barely registered the murmurs of approval until the clowns—one by one—removed their masks.

She felt her breath hitch.

Sophie's heart lurched as Ivy Mayfair-Richards, Oz's mother, pulled off her mask.

Then the final mask dropped.

Ally.

Sophie's stomach twisted violently. Oz's other mom. The one who should have never been here. And yet, there she was—standing among them, her eyes shining with something dark and unreadable.

Sophie barely had time to process before one of the guards spoke. "Supreme Leader, your wife is here."

The air left her lungs.

Kai's head snapped toward the staircase, his gaze locking onto hers. He wasn't surprised. He wasn't even angry. If anything, he looked pleased.

"It's good that you're here," he said smoothly, turning back to the group. "Come on out."

Sophie trembled but forced her feet to move, stepping down into the basement. Every fiber of her being screamed at her to run, but she knew there was nowhere to go. Her gaze flickered to Vincent's crumpled body on the ground, blood pooling beneath his head. The sight sent bile rising in her throat.

She snapped her eyes to Winter, who stood rigid—but Sophie could see it. The barely contained horror, the same turmoil that churned in her own gut.

Rage burned low in Sophie's belly, a slow, simmering thing that threatened to boil over. But she swallowed it down, masking it with forced composure.

Kai stepped closer, draping an arm over her shoulder. His voice was deceptively gentle when he spoke. "I think it's time that all of you show your devotion."

The room erupted in cheers.

Sophie's entire world tilted.

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