Chapter 7
The days that followed were a blur of plans, files, and locked doors. Kaelyn barely slept. She’d poured herself into mapping out the enemy’s psychological manipulation protocols—piecing together how they’d chosen their targets, what data they pulled, how they groomed people like her to fit into the puzzle without ever realizing it.
This wasn’t just about her anymore.
She now understood that Landen’s betrayal had been more than just personal—it was part of a long, twisted game. Her marriage, the affection he feigned, the silence he used against her… it all aligned too perfectly. He had been a handler. A well-placed one.
And she had been the experiment.
Late one night, while reviewing fragmented audio logs from a mission archive, Kaelyn’s comm device buzzed.
“Commander Zayn requests your presence in the North Wing. It’s urgent,” came Mara’s voice, as clipped as ever.
Kaelyn left her work and made her way to the North Wing—an area she hadn’t been authorized to access before.
Zayn was waiting by a thick steel door. He nodded when he saw her. “You’re the only one I trust with this.”
He typed in a code, and the door groaned open.
The room beyond was cold. Dim. At the center stood a transparent containment pod. Inside it, unconscious and heavily sedated, lay a man.
Kaelyn stepped closer. The breath caught in her throat.
It was Landen.
Her husband—her traitor—his face pale under the light, features drawn but unmistakable. She staggered back a step.
Zayn caught her elbow, steadying her.
“We captured him two days ago in Sector 14. He was working under a false identity, embedded within a black-market cybernetics ring.”
Kaelyn’s voice was ice. “Why is he still alive?”
Zayn’s eyes narrowed. “Because we think he’s the key to finding the people behind this.”
She clenched her jaw. “He won’t talk.”
“He might,” Zayn said. “To you.”
Kaelyn stared through the glass. So many memories tried to rise—nights she held his hand while he lay in a hospital bed, whispers of promises, the weight of heartbreak—but now, it all felt hollow. Like watching someone else’s life from the outside.
“Wake him up,” she said at last.
Zayn looked at her, gauging the danger in her tone, then nodded. “Tomorrow. I’ll be by your side.”
“No,” she said. “I want to face him alone.”
He hesitated. “That’s risky.”
“I’m not afraid of him anymore.”
There was steel in her voice. Zayn saw it—and for once, didn’t argue. “Fine. But I’ll be right outside.”
That night, Kaelyn didn’t sleep.
She stood in front of the glass for hours, watching Landen’s chest rise and fall under sedation. Her heart didn’t ache. It burned. This man had watched her suffer, had lied to her face, and had likely been the reason her name ended up on that list.
She remembered the day she married him—the warmth of his touch, the solemn vow he made.
How ridiculous.
The next morning, she stood in the interrogation chamber, the lights cold and sterile.
The door slid open, and Landen was wheeled in. His eyes fluttered open as the sedative wore off. At first, he looked confused—then he saw her.
A crooked smile touched his lips.
“Kaelyn… I always said you were smarter than you looked.”
She didn’t react. She simply sat down opposite him.
“No more games,” she said. “Tell me who you work for.”
Landen chuckled, voice rough. “That’s a little direct, sweetheart. Not even a ‘how are you?’”
She leaned in. “I’m not here for memories. I’m here for answers.”
He watched her for a moment. “You’ve changed.”
“You helped with that,” she said. “Your betrayal rewired something in me.”
Landen tilted his head. “You should thank me, then. You’ve never looked more alive.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I’ll thank you when I find the ones pulling your strings—and cut them.”
He smirked. “Even if I told you, they’d still be ten steps ahead.”
She leaned in, her voice dropping. “Then I’ll take eleven.”
For the first time, his smile faltered.
Kaelyn stood up. “Enjoy your cell. This time, I’ll be the one watching you sleep.”
As she walked out, the door sealing behind her, she felt lighter—not because she had the answers, but because she’d finally stopped chasing closure.
She was done being the broken one.
From this moment on, she would be the reckoning.