Page 52 of Cruel Deception
Cassian’s tone shifted—quieter, colder. “I knew her before you were born.”
We both went still.
“What the hell does that mean?” Vincent asked, voice tight.
Cassian’s eyes were locked on the place Vincent’s thumb brushed over my knuckles. “If your hand touches what’s mine again, I’ll remove it and mail it to your father.”
My chest froze. Because he wasn’t lying.
He knew too much. About me. My life. My phobia. Even about my mother. Was it possible...?
Did he know me as a child? Had he been watching me all along?
What else did he know?
What the hell was this game?
“This guy is a psychopath,” Vincent muttered. “He’s clinically, functionally insane.”
Cassian didn’t react.
Then, like a switch, two men in dark suits entered the room.
Vincent turned fast, instantly on edge. “Don’t touch me—”
“Cassian—what is this?” I sat up too quickly, pain tearing through my side. The IV tugged sharply in my arm.
Cassian didn’t flinch. “His visit is over.”
“No! He’s just my brother—”
The two men grabbed Vincent by both arms. He thrashed hard.
“Get off me! Let go of me!” he shouted, twisting against them. “Charlotte—call me! Charlotte—kill him if you get the chance—do you hear me?! You don’t deserve this!”
“Vincent!” I cried, chest splitting open.
But he was already being dragged from the room, kicking and shouting.
His voice faded into the hallway. Gone.
And I was alone again.
Alone with the man who’d vowed—on the altar—to destroy me.
I could still hear the echo of those vows in my skull, ringing louder now than they had at the wedding:
I vow to ruin you with every breath you take beside me.
To turn our marriage into your reckoning—slow, deliberate, and unforgettable.
For the mother who shattered me,
I will not forget. I will not forgive.
You will not find comfort in my arms.
You will not find safety in my name.
