Chapter 137 Forced to watch
Melissa's POV
Pain woke me.
Sharp. Throbbing. Radiating from my arm in waves that made my stomach turn.
I tried to move and immediately regretted it.
My right arm was immobilized. It felt heavy and terrible,really terrible. I forced my eyes open.
Cast. My arm was in a cast from my wrist to above my elbow.
The memories crashed back.
Stephan's hands on my arm.
The pressure building.
The snap.
My own screaming.
I gasped, panic flooding through me. I tried to sit up but I couldn't.
I looked down. Leather straps were across my chest, my waist, my legs. Holding me in a chair.
"No," I whispered. Pulled against them. "No, no, no..."
"Finally awake."
I jerked my head toward the voice.
Stephan stood in the doorway. Impeccable suit. Hair perfectly styled. Looking exactly like Gavin except for the cruelty in his eyes.
"Let me go," I said. My voice was hoarse. Raw from screaming.
"Can't do that, I'm afraid." He walked into the room. "You have a very important role to play this evening."
"What are you talking about?"
He gestured to something behind me.
I craned my neck, ignoring the pain in my arm.
A massive screen covered the wall it was currently black. But I could see my reflection in it. Pale. Disheveled. Strapped to a chair like a prisoner.
Which is exactly what I was.
"Front row seat," Stephan said. "Well, technically you'll be in a different room. But you'll see everything. Every moment."
Understanding hit me like ice water.
"The wedding," I whispered.
"Clever girl." He smiled. "Zeus thought you should witness Gavin's return to the family. His acceptance of his true destiny. His marriage to Sophia."
"No." I pulled against the straps. "No, you can't make me..."
"We can. We are." Stephan walked closer. Stopped just in front of my chair. "Do you know what you've done, Melissa?"
I glared up at him.
"You've made Gavin weak." His voice was calm. Like we were discussing the weather. "My brother was strong once. Ruthless. A true heir to Zeus's empire. But then he met you."
"Gavin was never yours," I spat. "He left. He chose a different life."
"He ran away. There's a difference." Stephan crouched down so we were eye level. "And now, because of you, he's back. Broken. Defeated. A shadow of what he should be."
"That's not my fault..."
"Isn't it?" He tilted his head. "He came here for you. Surrendered everything for you. Agreed to marry Sophia, to lead the Five Families, to give up his precious legitimate life...all for you."
The words hit harder than I wanted to admit.
"He needs to be taught a lesson," Stephan continued. "About loyalty. About family. About the cost of loving weak outsiders."
"I'm not weak," I said through clenched teeth.
"No?" He glanced at my broken arm. At the straps holding me in place. "You look pretty weak to me."
"Fuck you."
He laughed. "Such fire. I can see why he likes you. But fire doesn't make you strong. It just makes you burn hotter when you're finally extinguished."
He stood. Walked behind my chair. I felt his hands on my shoulders.
Exactly like on the screen when he'd broken my arm.
I flinched.
"The ceremony begins in two hours," he said. His breath was warm against my ear. "You'll watch every moment. You'll see Gavin pledge himself to Sophia. You'll see him kiss her. Claim her as his wife."
"Why are you doing this?" My voice cracked. "You already won. You got what you wanted."
"Because Zeus wants you to understand." Stephan's hands tightened on my shoulders. "This is what happens when outsiders interfere with family matters."
He walked toward the door.
"Wait," I called out. "What happens after? After the wedding?"
He paused. Looked back at me over his shoulder.
That smile again. Cold. Cruel.
"After the wedding, Gavin belongs to Sophia. And you?" His eyes traveled over me. "You belong to me."
The words made my skin crawl.
"Zeus promised me a reward for my loyalty. For bringing Gavin home. For breaking his precious little dove." He turned fully to face me. "You're that reward, Melissa. When this is over, when Gavin is properly bound to his new wife and his family obligations, you become mine."
"No." The word came out as a whisper.
"Yes." He walked back toward me. Stopped inches away. "I'll take very good care of you. I'll keep you comfortable. Well-fed. Safe."
He reached out and touched my face. I jerked away.
"You'll learn to appreciate me eventually," he continued. "I am, after all, identical to Gavin. Same face. Same voice. Same..."
"You're nothing like him," I interrupted. "Nothing."
"We'll see." He stepped back. "For now, enjoy the show. I'll be back after the ceremony to collect you."
Then he was gone.
The lock clicked.
I was alone.
Alone with my broken arm and my terror and the massive screen on the wall that would soon show me the man I loved marrying another woman.
I pulled against the straps. They didn't budge.
Tried to shift my weight. The chair was bolted to the floor.
I was completely trapped.
Tears started falling before I could stop them.
This was my fault.
Stephan was right about that, at least.
If I'd never gotten involved with Gavin. If I'd never fallen in love with him.
He wouldn't be here. Wouldn't be about to marry someone he didn't love. Wouldn't be trapped in the life he'd spent twenty years escaping.
All because of me.
All because he'd tried to save me.
Fresh sobs tore out of my throat.
I'd destroyed him.Just like Diana had said I would. Just like everyone had warned.
Gavin Cross was untouchable. Powerful and I'd brought him to his knees.
Made him weak.
Made him vulnerable.
And now he was paying the price.
"I'm sorry," I whispered to the empty room. "God, Gavin, I'm so sorry."
But sorry wouldn't change anything.
Sorry wouldn't stop the wedding.
Sorry wouldn't free either of us.
I closed my eyes. Tried to breathe through the pain and the guilt and the crushing weight of everything that had happened.
Did I still love him?
Yes.
Even after learning about my father. Even after everything. Even knowing he'd been carrying that guilt for twenty years.
I loved him.
Which made this so much worse.
Because I was going to have to watch him marry someone else and I know it was all my fault.
All because he'd loved me back.