Owned by the Betrayer

4

I had convinced myself that the dynamics between us had shifted, that something profound had changed. Yet here I was, confronted with the stark reality that nothing had altered at all.

He may have taken possession of my body, but his heart remained an impenetrable fortress, untouched and uncaring.

My heart feels like it has been ripped into a thousand pieces, bleeding out its sorrow, but I refuse to let him see even a flicker of that pain. Not for a single moment.

I shake my head vehemently, struggling to keep the tremor from my voice. “I was half asleep when you walked into my room. If I misinterpreted the situation, that’s your fault, not mine.”

He scoffs, a sound dripping with disdain. “You’re so desperate. It’s honestly pathetic.”

The words slice through the air like icy daggers, aimed directly at my already shattered heart. His tone is laced with a ferocity that feels as if he’s attempting to obliterate me, piece by piece.

I sit up straight, feeling the last remnants of tenderness I held for him evaporate into thin air. I am nothing but a hollow shell, numb and unfeeling. It’s as if I’ve turned to stone.

Turning my gaze away from him, I can’t help but notice how strikingly handsome he is, how perfectly sculpted his body appears. For eight long years, I believed wholeheartedly that I was in love with him. Is this truly the reality I must confront?

Why can’t he just love me back?

“Why was Reyna with you today?” I finally break the suffocating silence, my voice steady despite the turmoil within.

“Because she’s a good business partner, and I want her back in the business,” he replies, his tone impatient, as if my question is a mark of my ignorance.

“Grandpa said he doesn’t want her—”

“I know exactly what he said,” he interrupts, cutting me off sharply.

I fall silent, the weight of his words pressing down on me like a heavy shroud. Then, as if the thought had just struck him, he adds, “Who did you convince to get yourself on that flight?”

My lips part in surprise, confusion clouding my mind. “I… I thought you were the one who arranged that flight for me. I’ve been asking you since we got married for a more significant role in the business.”

I pause, my voice barely a whisper as I add quietly, “I thought, since I saw Reyna today and you made her a partner, maybe you were finally throwing me a bone. But if that’s the case, I’d expect something better than just crew on a smuggling flight.”

The darkness of our room envelopes us, yet a sliver of moonlight seeps through the window, illuminating Cassian’s expression as it shifts. He regards me with an incredulous look, as if I’ve lost my mind, and the way he looks at me makes everything he has done feel irrevocably broken and wrong.

“Are you delusional?” he asks, disbelief evident in his voice.

Suddenly, a fire ignites within me, fueling my anger. “No! Reyna comes back into your life, and you hand her a crucial position while I’m left begging for mere scraps? I am part of this family! Which one of us is your wife?”

Before I can gather my thoughts, he reaches out, grabbing my chin with a grip that feels possessive and bruising, dragging me closer to him.

“Is this what it’s come to? Petty jealousy over a job?” He laughs, but it’s a cold, mirthless sound. “Know your place. Reyna earned her position. You have what you want—money and comfort. I will never hand you even a sliver of my grandfather’s empire, do you understand?”

My heart, already raw from his words, feels as though he’s tearing it apart repeatedly, spitting on the remnants.

I am nothing when compared to Reyna. Not to my father, and now, not to my husband either.

My lips quiver uncontrollably, and I wrench my face from his grasp, turning away before he can witness my vulnerability. I refuse to give him the satisfaction of knowing just how pathetic I truly feel.

I feel the bed shift beside me as he rises. “I’m heading to my own bed. And don’t think I’ve forgotten your outburst at work. Don’t let it happen again, or you can go back to sitting at home all day. I’m sure that’s what you prefer, anyway.”

The door slams shut behind him, the sound reverberating through the room like a slap across my face.

I curl into a ball, bitter tears escaping and tracing a path down my cheeks.

I knew it would end like this. Why do I even bother? After three long years, I should be wise enough to recognize that Cassian will never stand by my side. Yet, I find myself humiliating myself before him, time and again.

I clench my fists tightly into the sheets. He came to me, finally acknowledging the heat between us, only to turn around and reject me afterward.

It’s as though he recognized the connection we shared, only to cast it aside.

There can only be one reason for this cruel twist of fate.

Reyna.

I was foolish to believe she was out of my life for good.

Images from today replay in my mind like a haunting reel. The coldness he exhibited at the warehouse, the way he looked at her with a warmth that I had longed for. A wave of nausea washes over me, and I almost rise from the bed to purge the bitterness that churns within me.

But I stubbornly grit my teeth, refusing to move.

I can hardly wait to see the look on his face tomorrow when I finally tell him about the divorce.

Tomorrow.

Suddenly, the date strikes me like a bolt of lightning, and I bolt upright in bed, my stomach twisting in knots.