#Chapter 46: Three’s Company

I told myself I was down in the archives to clear my head, to figure out what to do next, to put that damn kiss out of my head. I was trying to figure out how the fallback plan even got leaked and how to make it make sense. I was trying to prove I could still help. That I was worth keeping here. The archives were freezing, and I couldn’t stop shaking. The lamplight caught on the dust in the air like particles of accusation. I started cross-referencing documents with my mother's journal. My fingers traced my mother’s old notes, her careful, calculated script. She'd written about treaties that saved people and condemned others. I could hear their whispers about me. About her. About what I might become. About how much worse I already was. Richard's voice snapped through the hush. "Amelia." I didn't turn. "Don’t." He walked closer. "You’re making them doubt you. You know what this looks like to them? You were an outsider I brought in when the House was already cracking. I sold them