Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 78850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
The insult stung, but I dismissed it. “Grave, you don’t know anything about our relationship—”
“I know everything about it because he loves to rub it in my face. Like the video he just sent me.”
“What video?”
“The video of him fucking you.” His voice was louder than it should be, making people nearby turn to look.
My heart and lungs all plummeted in my stomach. “He would…he would never show that to you—”
“He sent it to me.” He pulled out his phone and played it.
And I was fucking horrified.
When I’d seen enough, he pocketed the phone. “He gave me these too.” He pulled out pieces of paper from his pocket, all covered in lines from where they’d been crumpled.
It took me a moment to grab the first one as I was so overwhelmed by shock. I slowly opened the pages and saw my own handwriting.
I’m not sure when it happened…but I’ve fallen so hard for Cauldron—
I stopped reading. It was too much. I’d tossed all these in the wastebasket, but that stupid weasel must have dug them out and given them to Cauldron. Every private moment I ever had…was violated.
Grave watched me process all of it surrounded by people and music and waiters. “He wanted to prove to me that you’re in love with him, and he succeeded. I see it now even though I wish I didn’t.”
My eyes dropped to the floor.
“I don’t know if he’s told you, but we’re half brothers. And he hates me for something I did a long time ago—”
“Yes, he told me.”
“Then you realize you’re caught in the world’s biggest pissing contest.”
I would never cry in front of anyone. Couldn’t endure the humiliation. But fuck, it was so hard not to. I wanted to cry because I was hurt, but also because I was so thoroughly humiliated that I wanted to die.
“I realize that I’m not the best man, but I treated you a lot better than that asshole. Forget him, and come home with me. We can start over. We can make this relationship whatever you want it to be.”
I stared past Grave, seeing his out-of-focus face. In that moment, I realized I didn’t have a home. That Cap-Ferrat estate was never mine. Cauldron’s bed was never mine. Cauldron was never mine. Now it all made sense, why he’d abruptly changed his mind about letting me stay with him. Why was I so blind? He even told me how much he hated Grave…and I never put the pieces together. “Okay.”
Grave stilled in surprise.
“Yeah, let’s go.”
There was a ferry that whisked people to and from the yacht, so we waited for it to approach the yacht close enough for us to board. I didn’t look behind me to search for Cauldron. By now, he must wonder where I’d gone off to. He was too arrogant to believe that Grave would tell me everything. Or he was too arrogant to believe I would believe him.
Grave stood in front of me, studying my face like I was sick and about to hurl.
I avoided his gaze.
He continued to stare, and he actually looked sympathetic. He wasn’t the fire-breathing demon that I remembered him being.
Before the boat could dock, Cauldron appeared.
His onslaught was silent. He appeared at my side, his hand reaching for my elbow. He looked his brother in the face with a warning in his eyes. An entire conversation seemed to pass between them before Cauldron yanked me away.
I twisted out of his grasp. “No.”
Cauldron released me, but it wasn’t from a loose grip; it was sheer shock.
“I’m going with Grave. You can fuck off, Cauldron.” I moved away from him, coming to Grave’s side, my allegiance set in stone.
Cauldron shifted his gaze back to his brother.
“You heard her.” Now his voice was cold and deadly, exactly as I remembered. “You thought I wouldn’t tell her?”
Their stare-off continued.
“This is over, Cauldron,” Grave said. “You got your kicks. Now leave the girl alone.”
The boat parked next to the yacht, ready to ferry people aboard.
Cauldron punched Grave so hard he toppled over the edge and splashed down into the water below.
I gasped and stepped back.
No one else seemed to notice because Grave didn’t scream as he plummeted below.
Cauldron moved into me. “Let me explain—”
“You think I want to listen to you justify sending that video? I let you film me because I trusted you. You said you wouldn’t show anyone—”
“I never said that.”
Now I wanted to punch him off the boat. “I shouldn’t even have to ask, Cauldron.”
The hardness of his face flickered, like a light that briefly lost electricity. “Let me explain—”
“Explain why you took my private thoughts without permission and showed them to someone? What the fuck is wrong with you? You violated my privacy…irrevocably broke my trust… What possible justification is there?”
He had the humility to drop his gaze.