Page 116 of Cruel Deception
I shook my head. “No, thanks. Nothing against it—I just don’t see the point. I only tried it once, with my ex boyfriend. He practically begged me to smoke with him when we first got together.”
She took a slow drag and exhaled through her nose, the smoke curling above her like a veil. “You didn’t answer my question.”
I hesitated, staring blankly at the players slamming balls across the table. “I only stayed in this marriage to understand why my grandfather arranged it—why he wanted me tied to your family. But after yesterday...”
My voice cracked.
“He really ruined me yesterday,” I whispered. “His words... God, they tore me apart. Said I looked like a man. Mocked my scars. Said my chest ruined the illusion of who I used to be... that I disgusted him. He made me strip. Used me in the dark so he wouldn’t have to see me. He called me heartless—said I wasjust like my mother. Said I deserved chains, deserved pain, that I wasn’t his wife anymore but his slave.”
I choked back a sob. “I know I shot him, and maybe I deserve punishment. But he... he enjoyed it. He knew he was breaking me. He has the answers to where my mother is, and he withholds them just to watch me suffer.”
I looked away, blinking fast. “So yeah. If I had the chance, I’d leave him.”
She nodded slowly, exhaling smoke again and watching the game. A man across the table scored. She clapped, light and proud. I could barely concentrate.
She crushed the cigarette beneath her boot. “What do you mean, if you have the chance?”
I turned to her, bitter. “You know your brother. He literally threatened to blow the entire church to hell if I didn’t say ‘I do’ at the altar. Do you really think a man like that would ever let me just walk away?”
“Unless I help,” she said simply, already pulling another cigarette from her pack.
I blinked. “You’d help me?”
“I can,” she said with a casual shrug, lighting up. “If you want me to.”
Then she stood, cheering softly—her player had won. I hadn’t even registered the score.
Could I leave?
Could I actually run? Start over?
“Can you play?” she asked, turning to me.
“I can,” I said, forcing a smile. “But not in the mood. Maybe next time.”
“Alright, we’ll come again tomorrow,” she said, as we left the small spectator’s area. “See if you’re in the mood then.”
We began walking toward the edge of the estate. The woods swallowed light like ink, thick with the scent of pine, earth, and secrets.
“You know this place inside out,” I said.
“I do.” She glanced sideways at me and then stopped walking. “I also know a way out.”
I blinked. “Out?”
She nodded. “A path through the woods. If you take it, and don’t stop until the third ridge, there’s a cabin where someone can pick you up. He’ll help you vanish. Cassian won’t find you.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that,” she said, folding her arms.
I hesitated. “Why would you help me? We just met this morning.”
She sighed, flicking ash to the side. “Because my brother’s not fixable. He’s damaged beyond reason. One day, he might snap and kill you—and if that happens, I swear he’ll cry like a child over your body. But that won’t bring you back. I’ve seen how this ends. And I don’t want you to become another ghost in this house.”
A lump rose in my throat. “I don’t have anywhere to go. No family. No friends. I don’t even have myself anymore.”
She took another drag, voice steady. “I’ve got people. I can get you new papers. Wire twenty grand into your account. It’s not a palace, but it’s freedom.”
