Chapter 38 · You don't know what I mean. You never tell me enough to know anything

"You don't know what I mean. You never tell me enough to know anything."

"I tell you what keeps you alive."

"No. You tell me what keeps me useful."

The words hit him. His mouth pulled tight.

The memory skipped again.

My mother's face filled the page.

"Adrian isn't the thief," she said. "He's buying us time. He stole the witness route, not the witness memory. He hid the original record inside—"

The image shattered into white static.

"Inside what?" I shouted.

The ledger flashed.

A seal appeared over my mother's mouth.

Not a Tribunal seal.

Our marriage seal.

Adrian cursed.

"Close it."

"No."

"Mara, close the ledger."

"She was about to tell us."

"That's why the contract is blocking her."

The mark beneath my collarbone burned harder. Pain ripped across my ribs and down my arm.

Adrian grunted at the same time. His forehead dropped against mine.

"Shared pain," he breathed.

"I know what it is."

"Then stop pushing."

"You stop me."

"I'm trying to stop the contract from charging me with witness interference."

"Let it charge you.