Page 75 of Cruel Deception
Luca lunged, but it was already over before it began.
Cassian caught him mid-stride and twisted his body violently. With terrifying precision, he drove Luca to the ground, pinning him with a knee to the spine. The air whooshed out of Luca’s lungs in a grunt.
Cassian’s arm locked around his throat, cutting off leverage. It wasn’t just a fight—it was an execution in slow motion.
I froze, my breath caught in my throat.
This was exactly how he killed Nico.
My mind flashed to that brutal night—Cassian’s knee pressed down, the twist of a neck, the wet sound of bones snapping.
He was going to kill his own brother.
Luca screamed as Cassian yanked his arm behind his back—his body writhing, but it was useless.
“Cassian, don’t—” I tried to say, but my voice died in my throat.
The sickening crack echoed across the room.
Luca’s scream turned guttural. His arm hung limp at an unnatural angle. He thrashed beneath Cassian, snarling. “You fucking bastard—!”
Cassian leaned close, his voice ice. “Next time you touch her, I won’t stop at your arm.”
Then, without another word, he grabbed Luca by the collar and slammed him against the wall.
The side of his head collided with the edge of a marble pillar.
There was a splatter of blood, then silence.
Luca collapsed to the floor, limbs twisted, eyes rolled back.
He didn’t move.
My heart stuttered in my chest.
He could be dead.
Cassian turned to me—his silhouette painted in blood and rage.
His voice was calm, too calm. “You don’t listen.”
I flinched at the words.
My body ached all over—my shoulder throbbed from the belt, my cheek stung, my wrist burned from Thiago’s grip. And my chest... it just felt hollow.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. It was all I could offer. My voice barely rose above the crackling silence.
Cassian didn’t respond. He simply turned and opened the door, stepping aside.
“Let’s go.”
I limped past him, my head down, body screaming with every step. My legs could barely carry me. Shame clung to my skin like sweat. I couldn’t look at him.
There was no sign of my father. Or Thiago.
Had he killed them too?
I didn’t ask.
