#Chapter 38: Shattered Trust

Logan The report sat unopened on my desk for a full hour before I touched it again. Not because I doubted what was inside. I didn’t. I’d read it twice already the night before, memorized the sequence of events, the files, the log trails Emily had laid out perfectly. She hadn’t missed a detail. That was what made it worse. She’d done it all without me. And in spite of my doubt. I was supposed to be the one protecting her. From the nobles. From my staff. From the vultures circling for a scandal. Instead, I’d stood there—arms crossed, voice flat—and made her prove herself. Because I wasn’t sure I believed her. Because part of me, the cold, calculating part, had whispered: If she’s guilty, don’t let her drag you down too. I rubbed a hand over my jaw, trying to clear the guilt from my chest. But it stayed where I could feel it. By the time I entered the meeting room, the key assistants and accountants were already seated. Iris sat near the center, legs crossed, back str