Page 50 of Escape into the Night

“Well, here’s to treason, my friends.”

Elias didn't bother correcting her. He didn't need to correct her, because the chilling truth of it was that, if they lost, that was exactly what the history books would call it. Treason. A shiver coursed through his body as he scanned the grim expressions around him. They all knew it. Hopefully, with a miracle on their side, it wouldn't go down in the books as an act of treason. Hopefully, they’d all make it out the other side with their reputations—and lives—intact.

Chapter Thirty-One

Abriella

Abriellahadonlybeeninside the Oval Office a handful of times, but it felt different at night. In the quiet hush of the late hour, it felt more like a sanctum than the nerve center of the most powerful nation in the world. The sweeping space smelled faintly of furniture polish, Adelaide’s perfume, and an aroma that could only be described as history. The Resolute Desk stood as imposing as ever, the dark mahogany surface illuminated by the warm glow of the ornate lighting. President Adelaide Montgomery herself rose from behind the desk as they entered the circular room. It was a small miracle that Bella had even been granted this audience. She had Lily and her supervisor, Dr. Anand Desai, to thank for the opportunity. Without them, she would have simply remained another name on a long list of people seeking a coveted stolen moment with the leader of the free world.

Addy, as Bella more often heard her called, was as formidable as ever, but the lines of fatigue etching her face were striking. Bella had always admired the quiet dignity she carried herself with, despite the personal feelings she had toward the woman.It was an odd juxtaposition—she could admire the fact that she held the highest office in the country as a woman, but she also disagreed with most, if not all, the ways she'd failed her closest friends. Tonight, there was something raw to the President’s expression. Wariness. Exhaustion. Doubt.

They moved deeper into the space at Adelaide’s invitation, Lily and Bella taking their seats on one couch as Dr. Anand and the President sitting on the opposite side of the coffee table dressed with a picture perfect floral arrangement and a simple pewter serving tray that had likely borne witness to decades of political history. Lily was poised, albeit tense, with her hands delicately folded in her lap. Anand, forever the warmest teddy bear of a man, settled himself close to Adelaide’s side. As Physician to the President, they had a rapport that Bella felt only a little bit guilty about taking advantage of. Especially in the face of what she currently carried in the breast pocket of her suit jacket. She was resting on quite a lot of favors and more than a little emotional blackmail with this mission. The contents of the letter in her possession would either wake Addy up to the truth, or shatter her completely. She took a soft, soothing breath before exhaling even quieter. There was no turning back now.

“Madam President,” Bella murmured, her voice intentionally soft and serene. It reminded her all too much of the voice she had to use when telling someone that somebody they loved was no longer living. “Theo wanted you to have this.”

She retrieved the carefully folded letter from her jacket and set it, almost reverently, on the coffee table in front of Adelaide. The weight of it felt a lot heavier than paper should.

Adelaide paused, eyeing the innocuous correspondence with noticeable hesitation before slowly reaching out with fingertips that trembled. She unfolded it even slower and Bella could read in her expression how she steeled herself against whatever it might contain. The room was painfully quiet save for the faintrustle of the paper. The pressure built until her pulse was audible in her ear drums.

Abriella watched as Adelaide’s gaze moved across the page, mentally praying to anyone who would listen that something in its contents would strike a nerve. To her credit, Addy’s features remained unreadable for a long time until something cracked. It was a nearly imperceptible moment. The parting of her lips was slight. The intake of air was barely audible. Her shoulders stiffened, then slumped, as her grip on the letter tightened.

“Madam President,” Lily quietly interrupted, her voice petal soft and her gaze warm. Perfect bedside manner, forever and always. “Theo wrote this because he loves you. He's not asking you to believe him without proof. He's asking you to listen. To see what is right in front of you.”

Adelaide’s eyes remained fixed on the words. Words written by her son. By the child she's been made to believe was a traitor. Unfortunately, more than once. Words written by the son she turned her back on. Bella couldn't imagine it. She’d been raised by a grandmother who thought the ground she walked on was spun of pure gold. She spent her formative years as a surrogate daughter to Connor’s mother—a woman who would lay her own life on the line to protect anyone she called her baby, blood relative or not. This wasn't the first time Bella struggled to reconcile it, and she couldn't imagine what Theo had written with that knowledge at the forefront of his mind. Lily had sat with him as he wrote it. She was the only one he would allow to read it. The emotional toll was intense. Bella couldn't fathom the desperation, heartbreak, and pleas that the pages in the President’s hand contained.

Adelaide finally spoke after a long moment, her voice hoarse until she cleared her throat to try again. The words were barely a whisper. “He doesn't know which one of them it is. Andrew or Aaron. Neither do I.”

Addy’s fingers curled around the edge of the letter. Bella exchanged a glance with Lily. This was what they needed. Confirmation that Adelaide still possessed a sliver of doubt. That there was a tiny crack in the foundation of lies she’d been fed.

“You have the power to find out,” Bella said carefully.

“You think it's that simple?” Addy let out a soft, mirthless laugh as she shook her head.

“No. Dios mio, no.” Bella shook her head in response. “I don't think it is simple at all. But I think you love Theo enough to try.”

The words struck their intended mark as Adelaide flinched. Bella might as well have slapped her in the face for how visceral the reaction was.

Dr. Anand intervened with a gentle hand laid over Adelaide’s forearm. “Madam President, my child. We have all noticed the changes. You're tired. Distracted. You've been surrounded by men who control your schedule, your security, your access to information. Please, let me run the tests. Only we will know.”

Adelaide's gaze turned sharp as her lips twisted. “You think I'm being drugged.”

“I think it is worth ruling out.” Anand delivered the reply in a calm, even tone. “If not, if this is all manipulation and nothing chemical, then at least you will know your decisions are truly your own.”

A flicker of something that looked a lot like fear crossed Adelaide’s face. She was still gripping the letter too tightly, as if afraid to let it go.

“Madam President, please. We don't expect you to act tonight. Or to act at all. Just please… listen to him. Listen to your son.” The appeal Lily delivered was so heartfelt, so quietly emphatic, Bella was surprised she managed not to grow teary-eyed herself. Addy’s throat worked as she struggled to swallow down her emotions.

With one last lingering look at Theo’s letter, she carefully folded it and gently set it on the surface of the table before smoothing her palm over the crinkled pages. The gesture was so painfully tender. So tender, Bella hated herself for what she was about to do. They'd accomplished what they came there to do. All they could do was hope in miracles. Inhaling to steady herself, Bella leaned across the table and snatched the letter from Adelaide's reach.

“Wait!” Addy’s hand extended, but Abriella was faster. She already had the lighter in her hand and the wheel turned with a rasp.

“No…” Adelaide whimpered, her fingertips lifting to press against her lips as tears sparkled in her hazel eyes. It was too late, though. Bella touched the tiny flame to the edge of the paper. The fire caught quickly, curling Theo’s words into blackened ashes that fluttered and fell onto the surface of the pewter tray.

“Why? Why did you do that?!” Adelaide sprang to her feet, caught halfway between protest and defeat. Deep down, she knew the answer. They all did.

Bella met the woman’s gaze, unwavering despite the blatant pain etched into the woman’s features. “Because no one else should see this. No one else can see this. No one else should know what was said in this room.”

The last of the letter crumbled and twisted into smoldering embers, its message now carried only in the hearts of those present. Just like the letter, Adelaide’s expression crumpled. There was grief there. So much grief, it made it hard for Bella to take a full breath. Grief and uncertainty and loss. But beneath it all, she swore she saw a spark of something else. Something familiar. A glimmer of the fighter's spirit she’d seen so many times in Theo’s face. For now, that would have to be enough. An infinitesimally small ember of rebellion against insurmountableodds. Abriella exhaled a wavering breath and sent with it a desperate prayer that the message they delivered took root. It was the only hope they had.

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