"You did this."
The words left me before I could refine them into something more diplomatic, but I didn't take them back.
Darius stood across from me near the edge of the inner garden, where the trimmed hedges created a quiet boundary from the rest of the estate. He had the kind of stillness that never felt idle. It was controlled, deliberate, like he was always aware of the space he occupied and the weight it carried.
He didn't ask what I meant.
He didn't need to.
"Yes," he said simply.
That was all.
No defense. No justification. No attempt to redirect the implication behind my words.
I studied him for a moment longer than necessary, letting the silence stretch just enough to confirm what I already understood.
"You moved faster than I expected," I said.
Darius's gaze remained steady on me. "You were being watched."
I let out a quiet breath, almost a sound of acknowledgment rather than disagreement. "They've always been watching."
"Not like this."
