Chapter 5

Chapter Five

S ophia

I try to keep my focus on Zeus as I make my rounds by the animal enclosures. His familiar golden eyes follow my movements, calm and steady, as if to remind me that everything is under control. But nothing feels in control today. The air feels too thick, every sound too sharp, as if something dangerous is just out of sight, waiting to strike.

The whole circus is buzzing with rumors about Rajah’s disappearance, and it’s getting harder to ignore the unease that’s settled deep in my gut. More than ever, I need to know Zeus is safe. He’s my constant, my anchor in this chaos. The thought of someone targeting him, of him being the next to disappear—it sends a chill crawling up my spine. I grip the metal bars of his cage tighter, my pulse quickening.

“Don’t worry, big guy,” I whisper, reaching through the bars to brush my fingers against his thick mane. He lets out a low rumble, his version of reassurance. “No one’s getting close to you. Not while I’m here.”

I try to believe it, but something is eating at me, and I know exactly what it is: Alex.

He’s been on my mind more than I’d like to admit. The moments we’ve shared, the quiet conversations, the way his eyes seem to burn with something I can’t quite name—it’s been chipping away at the walls I’ve built for so long. And that’s dangerous. I’ve let him in, more than I’ve ever let anyone in. I hate that I’ve done it, but I also crave it. His presence feels like a reprieve, a tether to something real amidst all the uncertainty.

But trust… that’s something I don’t give easily. Not after everything.

I glance toward the trailers where Alex is supposed to be prepping for his next act, and just the thought of him sends a pulse of heat through me. He’s intoxicating, in a way I’ve never experienced before—like he sees through all my defenses, even the ones I’m not aware of. That pull between us is dangerous, and I know it, but I can’t seem to resist.

With a final glance at Zeus, I start making my way back to the main tent, trying to shake the distraction Alex has become. As I walk, the noise of the circus fades into the background, and I hear something—a low murmur of voices nearby. I slow my steps, instinctively quieting my movements as I move closer.

And then I hear it—Alex’s voice.

I duck behind a curtain, heart suddenly pounding in my chest. I shouldn’t eavesdrop. I know that. But there’s something in his tone, something serious and cold, that sends warning signals through me. This isn’t the Alex I know.

I edge closer, pressing myself against the fabric, listening.

“...I’m getting closer,” he says, his voice low but clear. “Whoever’s behind these thefts knows what they’re doing. But it’s not just Rajah. This is organized.”

A chill runs through me. What thefts? I catch a glimpse of Dante, nodding, his arms crossed as if he’s in on something. My pulse quickens, confusion mixing with the unease.

“Once we have the final pieces, we can shut this down,” Alex continues. “I’m just not sure how long we can keep this quiet.”

I freeze.

Shut this down? Keep it quiet?

Dante leans closer to Alex, his voice quieter, but I can still hear the words that make my stomach drop: “You sure you can handle it on your own, Detective?”

Detective.

The world tilts under my feet. I press a hand against the side of the tent, trying to steady myself, but nothing feels steady. Detective? My mind scrambles to piece it together, but it doesn’t make sense. Alex—Alex isn’t just a performer? He’s… undercover?

I stumble backward, my breath coming faster, harder, as reality crashes down on me. Everything—everything between us—was a lie. I’ve been played. The moments I thought were real, the vulnerability I let slip, the connection I thought was there… it was all a game. A strategy. I was nothing more than a pawn in his investigation, something to get closer to the truth.

I feel sick. My chest tightens, and I press a hand to my ribs, trying to catch my breath, but it’s no use. The betrayal hits hard, sharper than any wound. How could I have let him in? How could I have been so stupid?

I push away from the curtain, forcing my feet to move, trying to get as far from that conversation as possible. But the words keep playing over and over in my head.

Detective.

He was lying the whole time.

I break into a run, my vision blurring as rage and hurt collide in a storm inside me. I can’t believe it. I won’t believe it. But the truth is staring me in the face, undeniable. The man I was starting to trust, the man I thought might actually care about me—he’s been lying to me since the moment we met.

I stop near the animal enclosures, gripping the fence so hard my knuckles turn white. Zeus watches me, his calm gaze the only thing that keeps me from completely falling apart.

How could I have let him in?

I feel the tears burning at the back of my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. I’ve been here before—vulnerable, exposed—and I swore I’d never let anyone get close enough to hurt me again. But I let Alex in. I let him under my skin. And now, I’m paying the price for it.

I trusted him. And it’s destroyed me.

I take a deep breath, pushing back the tears, forcing myself to find some semblance of control. There’s only one thing I can do now—confront him. I need to hear it from his lips. I need to see the truth in his eyes, no matter how much it breaks me.

Because if I don’t, I’ll never be able to move on from this.

I find him near the trailers, his back to me, shirt off, preparing for his next act. The afternoon sun glints off the sweat on his skin, his muscles flexing as he checks his firebreathing equipment. To anyone else, he looks like just another performer—strong, confident, magnetic. But I know better now. I know the truth, and it burns in my chest like a fire I can’t put out.

Every step I take toward him feels heavier, my pulse pounding in my ears. The noise of the circus fades into nothing as I close the distance. My breath comes in sharp, furious bursts. My anger is a living thing, crawling up my throat, threatening to choke me, but underneath it, there’s something darker. Something that hurts more than I want to admit. Betrayal.

“Alex.”

He turns at the sound of my voice, and for a split second, I see that smile—the one that used to make my heart race, the one that made me feel like I was the only thing that mattered. But it fades quickly when he sees my face. His expression shifts, confusion creasing his brow as he straightens. “Sophia? What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong?” I snap, my voice cold, sharper than I’ve ever heard it. “You tell me, Detective.”

The word hits him like a punch. His eyes widen, and I can see the realization wash over him. He knows. He knows I heard everything.

I take another step forward, unable to keep the fury contained anymore. “You’re not just a firebreather, are you? You’ve been lying to me this whole time.”

His mouth opens, but no words come out. Good. He doesn’t get to explain himself. Not yet. I want him to feel the full weight of what he’s done.

“How long?” I spit, each word dripping with the rage and pain that’s been building inside me since I overheard him. “How long have you been playing me? Was any of it real? Or was I just part of your investigation?”

“Sophia, wait?—”

“Don’t!” I cut him off, my voice trembling now. I hate how vulnerable I sound, how raw this makes me feel. “Don’t act like I’m overreacting. I trusted you, Alex. I let you in.”

His face pales, and for a moment, I think he’s going to deny it, but then he sighs, running a hand through his hair, his shoulders slumping under the weight of the truth. “You’re right,” he says quietly, and the admission slices through me. “I haven’t been completely honest with you.”

I scoff, the sound bitter in my throat. “That’s an understatement.”

“I’m an undercover detective,” he continues, his eyes meeting mine, steady, but filled with regret. “I was sent here to investigate the thefts. The missing animals, including Rajah. That’s why I’m here.”

I feel the ground drop out from under me. Every moment, every touch, every time I let myself believe there was something real between us—it all feels like a lie now. My chest tightens, and I can barely breathe through the anger and hurt twisting inside me.

“So, what? You just got close to me to make your job easier?” I step closer, my voice shaking with the force of everything I’m holding back. “You thought I’d be some easy mark? Some fool you could manipulate?”

“No, Sophia, it’s not like that,” he says quickly, reaching out, but I pull back, glaring at him. “Please, listen to me. I never wanted to hurt you. Yes, I came here for the investigation, but what I feel for you—it’s real. I swear it.”

I laugh, but it’s cold, empty. “Real? You think anything about this has been real?” I take another step back, putting more distance between us, because the closer I am to him, the harder it is to think straight. “You’ve been lying this whole time, Alex. To my face. How am I supposed to believe a single word out of your mouth now?”

He looks like I’ve just punched him in the gut, but I don’t care. I can’t care. If I let myself feel any sympathy for him right now, I’ll break. And I refuse to break for him.

“Sophia, I know I’ve made mistakes, but I swear to you, everything I’ve said, everything I’ve felt—none of that was a lie. I didn’t expect this to happen between us. I didn’t expect to care about you like this.”

I want to believe him. God, do I want to believe him. But I can’t. The trust we were building, the connection I thought we had—it’s all crumbling, shattered by the truth of who he really is.

I shake my head, my throat tight, the anger giving way to something more painful. “You’ve been lying to me this whole time. You don’t get to say you care about me.”

He steps forward, his eyes pleading. “Sophia, please, don’t shut me out. I can explain everything. I can?—”

“No.” My voice is firm, final. “You don’t get to explain anymore. I’m done listening to your lies.”

The hurt in his eyes is almost enough to make me falter, but I force myself to stay strong. I’ve let myself be vulnerable before, and I’ve always paid the price for it. I won’t let that happen again.

“I’m going to protect Zeus and the circus without you,” I say, my tone colder than I feel. “You can finish your investigation, but I want nothing to do with it. Or you.”

“Sophia—”

“Don’t.” I turn my back on him, walking away before the cracks in my armor start to show. I can feel his eyes on me, feel the weight of everything we’ve lost between us, but I can’t stop. If I stay, if I listen to him, I’ll start to question everything. And I can’t afford to question anything right now.

Not when the danger is closing in around us.

Not when I know the only person I can rely on is myself.

I storm back to Zeus’s enclosure, my safe haven, the only place that doesn’t feel like it’s closing in on me. The moment I reach the fence, I grab the bars, my knuckles white, my heart still hammering in my chest. The anger, the betrayal—it’s boiling under my skin, making me want to scream, cry, punch something, anything, just to release the tension clawing at my insides.

How could I have let this happen? How did I let Alex get so close?

Zeus pads over, his massive paws silent against the dirt as he watches me, his golden eyes calm, curious. I envy that calmness, the way he always seems unbothered by the chaos around him. I let out a breath, forcing myself to loosen my grip on the bars, but it does nothing to ease the storm inside me.

I pace in front of his cage, my mind racing, replaying everything that just happened with Alex. Every word, every look, every touch that felt so real. I feel foolish now, like a girl who let herself be swept up in a fantasy. I should have known better. I do know better.

But I let my guard down.

I let him in.

And now, I’m paying the price.

I stop pacing, pressing my forehead against the cool metal of the enclosure, trying to steady my breathing. The fire in my chest isn’t just from the anger. It’s from the pain, the sharp stab of realizing that I let someone close again, only to have them turn out to be exactly what I feared. A liar. A manipulator.

I should have seen it. I should have known. But Alex had a way of making me forget, of making me feel like I wasn’t alone, like maybe—just maybe—there was something good between us. Something real. And that’s what hurts the most. I was starting to believe it.

I was starting to believe him.

But no more. I can’t let myself be that vulnerable again. I won’t. I’ve survived too much to let someone like him tear me apart. I’ve built my life on protecting myself, on keeping everyone at arm’s length, and now, I know exactly why.

People lie. People leave. They always do.

I glance at Zeus, his gaze steady on mine, and I make a decision. I’ll protect him and the circus without Alex. I don’t need him. I don’t need anyone. This is my life, my responsibility, and I’ll handle it on my own. I’ve done it before. I’ll do it again.

But even as I stand there, the weight of everything crashing down on me, there’s a voice in the back of my mind whispering that I’m in over my head. That the danger creeping closer isn’t something I can handle on my own.

I shake the thought away, turning to Zeus. I can’t let doubt cloud my judgment. I’ll take care of this. I have to.

Even if Alex is out of the picture, even if I’ve been burned before, I’ll protect Zeus and the circus. I’ll face whatever’s coming, whatever danger is lurking in the shadows.

But the doubt lingers, gnawing at the edges of my resolve.

The truth is, I’m not sure I can do this alone. But I’ll be damned if I let anyone else get close enough to hurt me again.