The Castle School of Self-Defense

Chapter 11: The Truths

0800hrs
6th November
Washington Monument

The cold light of dawn barely filtered through the narrow, high windows of the Washington Monument's hidden chamber. For a moment, the room felt frozen in time, the only sound being the soft breathing of Charlotte and William. Charlotte sat on a stone bench in the far corner, her arms wrapped tightly around her body, trying to stave off the chill. The atmosphere in the air was thick with something unspoken, something she could no longer ignore. The weight of everything they had been through, everything they were still facing, hung heavily in the room. And yet, despite the danger surrounding them, there was a strange calmness to the space they now found themselves in.

William was still lying on a cot nearby, his eyes shut, but it was clear that he hadn't truly slept. His exhaustion, both mental and physical, was evident. His body was lean and strong, but the toll of what he'd gone through—the brutal kidnapping, the torture—was written all over him. The memory of the pain was still fresh, still raw, and even though he appeared to be resting, Charlotte could tell he was wide awake, lost in thoughts of the world they were both trapped in.

The moment she had been avoiding was approaching. She had been keeping secrets from him, truths that were heavy, dangerous—truths about his father, about the reason they were both being hunted. It was time for him to know, to understand what had been hidden from him his whole life. It wasn't easy. How could it be? How could she, the person who had been assigned to protect him, now be the one to open the door to a world that would change everything?

Charlotte closed her eyes for a moment, trying to gather the strength to speak. William had a right to know. He deserved to understand what his father had done, and why he was now a target. But the words felt heavier than any weapon she had ever carried. As much as she tried to convince herself that this was the right thing to do, she couldn't deny the fear that churned in her stomach. This was no longer just about survival—it was about trust. And once she told him, there would be no going back.

"William," she said softly, breaking the silence that had settled between them. Her voice was steady, but it trembled with the weight of what she was about to say.

William stirred on the cot, his eyes fluttering open, though he didn't sit up. He seemed to sense the change in the air, the shift in Charlotte's demeanor. Her voice—normally so confident, so sure—was uncertain now, a vulnerability in the way she held herself.

He met her gaze, his expression a mixture of curiosity and concern. "What's wrong?" he asked, his voice hoarse but still kind. "What is it?"

Charlotte hesitated for a moment before pushing herself to her feet. She didn't know how to begin, but she knew she couldn't keep hiding the truth. If they were going to make it out of this alive, William needed to know what had happened to his father, and how it tied them both to this deadly game.

"I can't keep this from you anymore," Charlotte began, walking over to him and sitting on the edge of his cot. She didn't want to look at him, didn't want to see the shock or the disbelief in his eyes, but she couldn't look away. She needed him to understand, needed him to know that this wasn't his fault.

"Your father," she started again, her voice barely above a whisper, "he wasn't just a businessman. He wasn't just a philanthropist. He was involved in something much bigger, something good. There's an organization—an underground network that operates in the shadows—and your father was deeply connected to it."

William blinked, confusion clouding his features. "My father? He was... involved in something like that?" The disbelief in his voice was evident. His world was crumbling, and everything he thought he knew was being shattered.