Page 41 of Vows of Deceit
“I thought if I worked hard enough, succeeded enough, I’d be worthy,” he admitted.
“Of Cassie?” his therapist asked.
“Of anyone.”
He visited the hotel once. Just once. He stood across the street while Cassie exited with Grayson, her laugh bright, her hand brushing Grayson’s arm as they shared a private joke. Damien didn’t interrupt. He simply watched. And then he walked away.
He called Kelly to apologize. He wrote letters to Cassie, five of them but never sent any. He sent a donation to a women’s recovery foundation in Cassie’s name instead.
He canceled the Paris apartment lease. Told Kelly she was no longer his responsibility. That call ended with her screaming but he didn’t yell back. He hung up and deleted her number.
Days blurred into weeks. Damien attended every therapy session. He met with Leo, not to ask for forgiveness, but to listen. He worked at a smaller office, offering advisory support to mid-level managers who used to be afraid of him.
He took accountability not for show, but for survival. He knew Cassie wouldn’t come back. He didn’t deserve that. But he hoped one day when someone mentioned his name, her first reaction wouldn’t be pain.
And maybe that was enough to start again.
Chapter Thirty Two
Family Fallout
The King estate had weathered decades of scandal, power struggles, and headlines but nothing had prepared its halls for this. In the drawing room, thick with tension and polished oak, the King family sat in a tightly drawn circle. No press. No assistants. No distractions.
Just blood.
Cassie sat closest to the window, legs crossed, arms draped loosely at her sides like she hadn’t just detonated a social grenade in front of the entire city. Her face was calm, distant. Tired.
Vivienne perched at the edge of her chair, her pearls tight around her neck, clutching a linen handkerchief. Charles stood beside the fireplace, his back rigid, hands in his pockets and Kelly looking disheveled, lips still red from rage hovered near the door like she might bolt any second.
“This isn’t about shame,” Charles said at last, his voice low and deliberate. “It’s about decency.”
“Oh, please,” Kelly snapped. “You all stood by while Cassie played judge, jury, and executioner—”
“Enough.” Vivienne’s voice cracked like a whip.
Kelly stilled.
Vivienne rose slowly. Her eyes were glassy, her mouth trembling.
“I raised two daughters,” she whispered. “One who begged for affection her whole life, and another who used it like a weapon.”
Silence.
“I don’t excuse what Damien did. But Kelly… you had a choice. And you chose betrayal.”
Kelly’s voice was brittle. “You always favored her.”
“No,” Vivienne said, her shoulders sagging. “I protected you both the only way I knew how. But that doesn’t mean I condone this. You destroyed your sister’s marriage.”
“She was never meant to be with him!” Kelly’s voice cracked.
Cassie stood now, slow and composed. “And yet, he chose me.”
Charles stepped forward. “I won’t let this family fracture in the name of ego. We have business interests, legacies, reputations—”
Vivienne sank back into her chair, rubbing her temples. “We need to heal.”
Cassie looked at her. “Healing doesn’t begin with sweeping things under Persian rugs.”
