Chapter 31 - The Aftermath
I woke up to the smell of antiseptic and the sound of a steady, rhythmic beep. My body felt like it had been run over by a train. I tried to move, but pain lanced through my chest.
"Don't move," a familiar voice said.
I opened my eyes. Arthur was sitting in a chair next to the bed, looking exhausted.
"Where am I?" I rasped.
"A private hospital in Zurich," he said. "Elias got us out before the cabin collapsed. The world saw the files, Amanda. It’s chaos out there. The Serpent’s Keepers are being hunted by the very governments they thought they controlled."
I let out a long, shaky breath. "Did we win?"
"We won the battle," Arthur said, reaching out to touch my hand. "But they’re still out there. The high-level donors, the architects... they’ve gone dark."
"What about Ethan?" I asked, panic flaring in my chest.
"He's safe," Arthur assured me. "He’s at the estate with full security. I’ve ensured no one knows he's there."
I looked at the ceiling, feeling a profound sense of relief, but also a lingering dread. The files were out, but the people who had built that empire were still breathing.
"We need to finish this," I whispered.
May you like
"We will," Arthur said. "But first, you need to heal. We have a long road ahead of us."
I nodded, closing my eyes. The war was far from over, but for the first time in years, the Serpent was the one running for cover.
