Chapter 52
Azalea
“Consider yourself lucky, honey,” he beamed. He was still talking to me when someone knocked on the door.
“Come in,” he called, instantly switching back to his composed businessman persona.
“Mr. Caelian,” a man in a white coat said as he entered. A doctor.
“Come here,” Cassian commanded me.
When I didn’t move, he added, “I guess my previous punishment wasn’t clear enough.”
The threat in his voice made me scramble to my feet and move to his side. He sat on the edge of the bed and patted the space next to him like I was a dog.
“Good girl,” he said when I obeyed. “Sit.”
“What are you still waiting for, Doctor Lucian? Attend to me now.”
The doctor worked in silence, cleaning and bandaging the wound I’d given Cassian. I watched, wondering if I should feel guilty for hurting him. I didn’t.
“I will take my leave, sir.”
“Thank you, Dr. Lucian,” Cassian stated when the man finished. “I’ll call if I need anything else.”
After the doctor left, the room fell into an oppressive silence. I felt like a child again, small and powerless, trying to understand how everything had gone so wrong.
“If I were you, I’d learn to behave,” Cassian muttered finally, breaking the quiet. His voice was conversational now, which somehow made it more terrifying.
“You should be grateful you’re still useful to me. If you weren’t...” He paused, studying my face. “Well, let’s just say you wouldn’t want to end up like Emily and her family.”
Fear shot through me. Emily? What had he done to her? I wanted to ask, but the words stuck in my throat.
“Ha!” His laugh was cold and cruel. “You’re still thinking about someone else when you should be worried about yourself, sweetheart.”
“Did I do something wrong?” The question slipped out before I could stop it.
“You?” He shook his head. “No, you didn’t do anything wrong. You should blame yourself for getting involved with my enemy.”
“Who?” I asked, confusion mixing with my fear. How could I be involved with someone dangerous when I barely knew anyone outside my small circle?
“Adriano,” he replied. “Your husband.”
I gasped. My body began to shake uncontrollably as cold sweat broke out across my forehead despite the air conditioning. Nothing about this made sense.
Tears spilled down my cheeks as I struggled to find words, but my mind was reeling.
“Since we’re past pretending, I guess I don’t need to hide anything anymore,” he continued, his voice casual as if we were discussing the weather.
“Do you really think I would have dated someone like you if it wasn’t for him?” He let out a dry, humorless laugh. “I destroy anyone connected to Adriano Rion Giordani.”
His hand moved to my thigh, caressing it with the same gentleness he’d once shown me. But now I felt nothing. Every part of my body had gone numb with shock.
“I approached you to get to him. To draw him out. To kill him.”
“This doesn’t make sense,” I finally managed to say. “Why would Adriano come for me? Why would he save someone he barely knows? Someone who stole from him?”
I was nobody to him. I was just the woman he hated.
“You still don’t understand, do you?” Cassian grabbed my chin roughly, forcing me to meet his eyes. “He loves you.”
Loves me? The idea was so absurd I almost laughed. Someone like Adriano, powerful, wealthy, and untouchable, could never love someone like me. He hated me. He’d made that perfectly clear every chance he got.
“You’re wrong,” I stated. “He hates me. I told you everything about how he treats me.”
“You’re both idiots,” Cassian said with amusement. “Even a blind person could see how much he loves you. You’re both too stubborn and blind to admit what your hearts want, and I used that weakness to my advantage. So thank you for making this so easy.”
His grip on my face tightened, and I winced. “Please, you’re hurting me.”
“When he realizes you’re gone, he’ll come looking for you. And when he does, I’ll kill him and feed his body to my fish.”
“He won’t come,” I muttered desperately. “He doesn’t care about me.”
“You think so?” His smirk was predatory. “If he didn’t care, why has he been monitoring you? I knew everything. I knew you were starving for love and affection, so I gave you exactly what you needed.”
The betrayal wasn’t what I expected. I thought he was just using me, playing with my emotions, but the truth behind it all was far worse. The man standing before me wasn’t the one I had fallen in love with.
“I hate you,” I spat.
“No matter what I do to you,” he said, standing up and putting on his shirt, “you can never truly hate me. I’ve already tamed your soul, your heart, and your body. They belong to me now.”
He moved toward the door, then paused. “Oh, and behave yourself. If you don’t, your sister’s life isn’t secure.”
“What?” It took several seconds for his meaning to sink in. “What have you done to Amira?”
“Nothing yet,” he said with a cruel smile. “But I can’t guarantee I won’t do something to her if you misbehave.”
“Please don’t hurt her.” I dropped to my knees. “I’m begging you. She’s innocent in all this.”
“There we go,” he laughed, clearly enjoying my desperation. “I was right, your sister is the perfect way to control you. I won’t hurt her for now, as long as you do exactly what I say.”
He was almost at the door when he turned back one final time.
“Oh, and Azalea? Emily and her family died because of you. If you had just minded your own business and pretended you didn’t hear anything when you discovered the truth about me, they’d still be alive today. Their blood is on your hands.”
With that devastating blow, he opened the door and left me alone with my guilt, fear, and the terrible realization that I was trapped in a game much bigger and more dangerous than I’d ever imagined.