Page 70 of Cruel Deception
They’d played me.
This is the man I almost married. This is the father I was born to.
They never stopped being monsters.
“Thiago,” Luca snapped, not even looking at me. “Bring her down.”
I tried to back away, but my father gripped my arm again, jerking me upright. “You foolish, weak girl,” he hissed, dragging me forward like a ragdoll. “This is why I always hated having a daughter. Gullible. Emotional. Just like your useless mother.”
My heart shattered like glass underfoot.
Luca stepped closer, undoing his belt, his eyes filled with a violent rage I had never seen before.
“How many times has he fucked you?” he asked.
My breath caught.
“Luca...”
His name slipped out like a plea—but not for mercy. For understanding. I wanted to see the man who smiled at me weeks ago. The one who acted kind. Rational. But he was gone.
He yanked the belt off and cracked it against my shoulder.
I screamed.
Again.
Again.
My skin seared and my throat burned, but I didn’t beg.
“You think I won’t break you?” he spat, striking my back next.
“You answer my fucking question!” he roared. “How many times has that bastard put his cock inside you?!”
“We haven’t done it,” I gasped, trying to cover myself. “We haven’t.”
My father finally let go of me, stalking toward Luca, whispering something I couldn’t hear. I clutched my arm, trembling, afraid to move.
I had no idea they were working together.
No idea my father wanted me to marry Luca not out of honor or alliance—but control.
Ownership.
They had planned it all from the start.
Luca raised his chin, nodding toward the shadows. “Thiago.”
Thiago stepped forward silently, the warmth and calm I once saw in him completely gone now, replaced by a cold, inhuman stillness.
“You’ll remain here,” Luca said to me, his tone eerily calm again. “Until Cassian signs those divorce papers. Once he does, I’ll marry you and make you mine. Legally.”
I shook my head. “You can’t—”
He cut me off.
“You signed a loan agreement, remember? You owe me fifty grand. And according to that contract, I have the right to demand repayment in any form I choose. If you can’t pay with money... you’ll pay with your freedom.”
