The Woman He Almost Killed Lives

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started up again, pulling me back

a low sneer. "Always has been. You're better off witho

from the family who had cast me out. But somewhere along the way, I had truly fallen in love. My initia

o... convenient. Popping up just when you needed s

al dismissiveness in their voices, the way they dissected my existence as if I were a p

from my fingers, clattering softly on the polished hardwood floor, the sound a faint echo agains

nto a cool mask. He was standing by his large mahogany desk, a half-empty glass of amber liquid in his h

stark contrast to the tender tone he had used fo

exercise? Is that what I was to you, August? Three years of

on wood sounding impossibly loud. "Allie, you heard wrong. It's not w

tears streaming down my face. "I heard everything! You used me. You used me

sowned, desperate. You needed security, and I offered it. We both got something out of this, didn't

, guttural and painful. "I truly loved you, Au

I needed a distraction, someone uncomplicated while I sorted things out." His gaze swept over my

ds. "Easy to replace?" I choked, my voice barely audible

gaining a hard edge. "Don't pretend you were a wide-eyed innocent. You h

pped it out and held it out to me. A blank check. "Here. For your troubles. For your 'three

his impassive face. This was it. The final dismis

ered, my voice thick with unshed tears.

w tight. Liam and Noah watched, silent, fro

gust said, his voice

presenting his broad shoulders as a final, unbre

at. "Allie, he's right. It's time to go. You g

f my foolish hope, lay there, mocking me. Anger, cold and pure, surged through me. With a guttural cry,

ney!" I spat, my voice hoar

azing. "Who is she? Caroline

n them. "She's his ex," Liam said slowly, "the one he was always mea

off. There was nothing more to say, nothing more to lear

ace, refreshing the tears that still flowed freely. I walked aimlessly, my feet carrying me through the silent

f the promises August had whispered in my ear, promises that had felt so real

e," he had said, holding my hand, his thumb tracing patterns on my skin. "You're everything

deny that. But as the months turned into years, the initial calculation had melted away, replaced by something real, something

I had only one place left to go. The place I sw

st I had desperately tried to escape. When the maid opened it, my fat

ce icy, his eyes raking over my disheveled appea

d on her face. "Allie, dear. What a surprise. We heard things weren't going so well

rp needles. "A girl like you, with your... pedigree, should know her place. A

ther's cruel words. Something inside me snapped. The dam broke. All the years of being

nt to talk pedigree, Father? Let's talk about yours, and where you found your curren