He Broke My Heart, I’ll Break His

After two years of being exiled to Iceland, Vespera Kane finally set foot back in Capital City. Stepping out of the international terminal, she slid into the sleek black luxury sedan she'd assumed her family had sent to pick her up. Thirty seconds later, the door swung open again. Vespera stared at Cassian Thorne sitting in a wheelchair, and her mind went completely blank. The second she met that same icy, detached gaze she remembered from two years ago, she snapped her head to the side, desperate to hide from his line of sight. Cassian's voice was cold enough to frost over glass. "What? You don't recognize me after a couple of years apart?" 'How could she possibly not recognize him?' Vespera stared at her own bitter reflection in the tinted car window, clenched her fists tight, and forced herself to turn back around. "Uncle Cassian. It's been a long time." Cassian was the primary heir of the elder Thorne patriarch, the undisputed ruler of the entire Thorne family empire. According to social hierarchy in the inner elite circles, she was expected to address him with formal respect as an elder. No one knew they'd once shared a secret, forbidden romance that had never seen the light of day and ended in catastrophe. The comfortably air-conditioned interior morphed into an iron cage pinning Vespera in place. Before Cassian could say another word, she moved toward the door, ready to bolt. "Sorry, Uncle Cassian. I got in the wrong car. I'll step out right now." Cassian ignored her completely. He waited for his personal aide to assist him into the vehicle and get settled, then dropped the news in a flat, unfeeling tone. "The entire Kane family left on an overseas vacation. No one was dispatched to pick you up." Vespera froze, a dull, familiar tightness squeezing her chest. She'd always been the invisible one in the Kane household, never measuring up to her accomplished older sister, the surgeon, never as valued as her younger brother, who'd inherit the family business. Of course, they didn't care if she was stranded at the airport without a ride. Of course, they hadn't bothered to tell her they'd be gone. Vespera dug her nails into her palms to hold back the wave of humiliation crashing over her, still determined to leave. "I can just call a cab myself—" She didn't get to finish the sentence. Cassian cut her off, his voice sharp and frigid. "Vespera, why do you think you were cleared to return to Capital City in the first place?" Vespera went completely rigid, every muscle in her body locking up. Two years ago, when their clandestine bond had been at its most intense, Cassian had abruptly broken things off. She'd refused to accept it, and their confrontation had ended in a devastating car wreck. Cassian had thrown himself over her to shield her from the impact, leaving his legs severely injured. Every single member of the Kane family had berated her and blamed her for the disaster. To beg the Thorne dynasty for mercy, her father had banished her abroad. And Cassian had said nothing to stop it. No one in high society dared cross Cassian Thorne. If he hadn't given his personal permission for her return, her family never would have allowed it. Vespera's throat went dry and bitter. She sank back into the leather seat and said nothing else. The car pulled smoothly away from the curb. Vespera caught a whiff of that familiar, intoxicating cedarwood scent clinging to him, and she felt so suffocated she could barely draw breath, as if sitting on a bed of nails. Right then, the dark privacy divider between the front and back seats silently slid upward. Vespera froze, her heart hammering wildly and erratically in her chest... For the three years they'd been together, they'd had to hide their connection from everyone. Most of their stolen moments had happened in the back of this private car, and the divider rising had always been the unspoken signal that they were finally alone. But that kind of closeness, that kind of all-consuming devotion, was supposed to be dead and buried. Vespera clenched her fists even tighter, her throat locking before words could form. Before she could speak, Cassian broke the silence, his tone flat and unreadable. "Vespera, come here." Two years of isolation hadn't erased her ingrained habit of yielding to him without question. She leaned toward him on pure instinct, and his fingers closed firmly around her hand out of nowhere. A second later, he slipped the pale agarwood bead bracelet off his own wrist and fastened it securely around hers. Vespera went completely, utterly still. She had searched endlessly to find that antique bracelet for him five years ago. Why was he returning it to her now? Stunned beyond measure, she parted her lips, ready to demand an explanation. The car rolled to a halt, and Cassian pulled his hand away without lingering. "We're here." He stepped out of the vehicle with the help of his staff, without sparing her another glance. Vespera's eyes followed him on instinct, watching him approach a slender woman waiting outside a private estate. The late summer sun blazed overhead, bright and unforgiving. She squinted through the tinted glass, and the breath caught in her throat when she saw the woman lean up and press a tender kiss to Cassian's cheek. He didn't pull away. When Vespera finally made out the woman's features, all the blood in her veins turned to ice. It was Genevieve Delacroix... her closest, most trusted friend in the world. The two of them were together.