Total pages in book: 175
Estimated words: 164346 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 822(@200wpm)___ 657(@250wpm)___ 548(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 164346 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 822(@200wpm)___ 657(@250wpm)___ 548(@300wpm)
“Don’t give her too much. You could kill her. I want her out, not dead, Matt responds to Cindy about your lovely idea.”
“But how will I be able to get her to you? Cindy asked your boyfriend.”
“I’ll be close by. Just message me when it’s done, Matt answered.”
Lowering Cindy’s cell, I look at her. “Do I need to continue?”
Her eyes are narrowed up at me, and her lips pulled back, baring her teeth. “You fucking ruined him!” Ashley growls. I’ve hit a nerve. Good. Finally, we’re getting somewhere. “His chance at being a great Lord. Then you choose his girlfriend? You both deserve what you’re going to get.”
“And you were more than willing to help him?” I ask, tilting my head to the side.
“Of course,” she snaps. “A Lady stands by her Lord.”
“Aw.” I nod my head. “I get it now. He promised you not only retribution but also Lady status.” Which has to be a lie because he was still planning on marrying Blake. Lords are a lot of things, but they are still only allowed one wife. Now they can fuck as many women as they want outside of their marriage, but legally—on paper—they have one wife.
“She wasn’t even supposed to return. I stayed behind and watched her for three fucking weeks for him. Day in and day out while she worked in that run-down piece-of-shit bar and stayed in that nasty-ass motel.” She snorts. “I told him I was done and was leaving to come back, and he sent Derek to watch her.” She gives me a chilling smile. “He wanted to pay you back, and she was the best payment Matt could give him.”
Taking in a deep breath, she places her nose up in the air, and I tap the bloody knife to my thigh, her blood staining my jeans.
“So, fuck you, Ryat!” she snaps, and then her eyes look out over the bottom level. “He’ll make her life miserable and make sure you get to watch.” Her bloodshot eyes shoot to look up at me.
“This has been informative. Thank you for playing,” I say, knowing all I needed to know. I actually was already aware of all of this, but I needed her confession to kill her in front of the Lords. I grip the back of the chair. “Your prize is death.”
“No … wait. Matt …”
I shove it forward, knocking it in the baptism pool with her still tied to it. Her voice rings throughout the cathedral before her head goes under. Her blood instantly turns the water red, making it look like red wine, and she struggles in the chair as it hits the bottom.
I’m being a little theatrical right now. More than usual, but I thought it’d be poetic to kill her how Matt almost did when he was in that water with her for the vow ceremony. I should have never stood and stopped him. That was a lesson I learned the hard way.
BLAKELY
I FEEL NUMB.
I’m not even sad that Ryat tortured the woman or the fact that he looked like he enjoyed it.
Sitting here, I realize that everything has been a lie. I mean, a part of me already knew that but thinking it and having it confirmed are two very different things.
Now I just look stupid. The entire time I was with Matt, he had someone else. And she knew about me. She was in on everything, pretending that she didn’t know who I was. Helping him when I ran. She kept tabs on me like my biggest fan.
All the Lords stand and exit the cathedral one by one, and I stay planted in my seat, unable to move. Instead, my eyes are trained on the glass that showcases the inside of the baptism pool.
Ashley’s dead body is at the bottom, still strapped to the chair in the red water. Every moment of my life over the past couple of months have been tracked or forced in some way.
The only real decision I’ve made was to stay Ryat’s wife. He was forced to pick me as his chosen. I felt forced to marry him to save myself from Matt. Ryat said I wasn’t paying attention if I thought he wanted to divorce me, but I chose not to sign those papers. I wanted to fight for him. For us. In a world full of smoke and mirrors, he’s something real. We got here by chance, but we’re still together by choice.
I can’t thank him enough for finding me when I ran. I thought Ryat was watching me while I was away, but it turns out it was Matt. He had eyes on me, and when he realized Ryat was getting close, he paid some piece of shit named Derek to kill me.
“Blake?”
I blink, lowering my eyes and see a set of green ones looking into mine. Ryat is kneeling in front of me. I don’t say anything. My lips won’t work.