Page 117 of Cruel Deception
It sounded too clean. Too convenient. Too... safe.
“I’ll think about it.”
She stopped walking again. “You may not get this offer twice.”
“I said I’ll think about it,” I repeated, quieter now.
She nodded, but something in her expression cracked—like she had more to say but couldn’t bring herself to.
I searched her face. “Cassian hates my mother. I can feel it. But he won’t talk about it. Why has he kept me in the dark?”
Elodie hesitated, then murmured, “Leave first. Then I’ll tell you everything. I’ll call you. I swear.”
I stopped. “That’s not good enough.”
She frowned. “Charlotte—”
“You can’t say you want to protect me while keeping secrets. What are you not telling me?”
Her lips parted, then closed again. For a second, I thought she might actually confess something. But then she exhaled and turned around.
“Let’s just go back.”
I followed, silent.
Who disappears into a foreign country at the offer of a stranger? Elodie had been kind—gentle, even. But I knew the Morettis were experts at pretending. I’d learned that lesson the hard way.
And when we walked back into the living room, my heart nearly stopped.
Cassian was seated there, across the vast marble space, legs crossed like a king of hell.
My lungs stalled. I couldn’t breathe.
The memories hit me all at once—his grip, his orders, the chain dragging between my legs. The mocking tone. His darkness.
Would he strip me again?
Chain me?
Make me crawl and suck him like some depraved animal?
Take me in the dark just to avoid looking at my mutilated chest?
I stood frozen in the doorway, my body cold. His gaze lifted—sharp, dark, unreadable.
He was waiting.
And I had no idea if I was walking back into hell... or if hell had never ended.
“Cassian,” Elodie broke from my side and crossed the room toward him.
He didn’t even glance at her. His gaze was locked on me—sharp, unreadable, and cold enough to silence my heartbeat.
“Where did you take her?” he asked, his voice low, dangerous.
“To the table tennis court,” Elodie said quickly. “I just wanted her to get some fresh air. Be around people.”
“People?”
