I left the Bennett estate knowing that the man I had hated for months may have accepted blame for a crime Marcus requested.
The thought did not feel real at first.
It followed me out of the library like a shadow that had learned my name, moving behind me through the drawing room, past the polished fireplace, beyond Vivian’s pale face and Marcus’s careful stillness. It stayed with me as Richard spoke again, as if his last revelation had not split the floor beneath everyone.
Marcus threatened Cade with evidence connected to Vaughn and the accident that killed Elise.
Those words had not ended the conversation.
They had ended my understanding of the world.
After that, sound became strange. Richard’s voice continued, low and controlled, but I could no longer place the words in order. Cade
