He Broke His Vow, I Broke Him

Chapter 2

I stared out the window as the scenery blurred past. My phone buzzed.

The screen lit up. A message from an unknown number.

Three photos attached.

The first was a gold bracelet engraved with "Leo & Lily."

The second was a hospital bed buried under nine hundred and ninety-nine roses.

The third was Leo kissing Lily, deep and unhurried, right there on that hospital bed.

The message came with a caption: See who he really cares about.

I took one look at the sad little provocation and felt nothing. A few taps, and the message slid into the trash.

Back to the home screen. My wallpaper was our wedding photo. Leo looked almost shy in it, nervous enough to sweat, but he never once let go of my hand.

I still remembered what he said to me that day.

"Vera, you've given me everything. I swear on my life, I'll be your knight until my last breath."

But Leo, you lied.

I smoothed the crease between my brows, reached through the half-open window without a moment's hesitation, and let the phone go.

It hit the road hard. The screen, our wedding photo still lit up on it, shattered.

"Jake. I'm tired. Take me home."

The villa was unnervingly quiet.

I went upstairs alone. At the bend in the staircase, the bathroom light was on, and the sound of running water carried through the door.

'Was Leo home?'

My heart gave the slightest stutter.

'I wasn't ready to face him.'

I was still standing there when humming drifted through the steam.

A woman's voice.

'Who?'

My stomach dropped. I moved without a sound, grabbed the baseball bat leaning against the wall, and crept the rest of the way up the stairs.

I crouched outside the bathroom door and waited.

The latch clicked. The door swung open.

Lily walked out wearing my silk bathrobe, her damp hair draped over her shoulders, humming softly to herself.

The moment she saw me, the contentment on her face cracked wide open.

"Leo! Leo, help me! She's going to hit me again!"

Her legs gave out and she collapsed, screaming until her voice broke.

Leo came from nowhere, fast as a gust of wind, slamming into me hard enough to knock me back as he hauled Lily behind him.

"Haven't you done enough? You won't stop until you've driven her to her death?"

"I have a question for you, Leo."

I wrestled down the fury climbing my throat and forced out every word.

"Why is this woman in my house? Why is she using my bathroom?"

"The hospital environment isn't good for Lily's recovery," he said it like he was stating the obvious. "I brought her here to rest."

"To rest. In my bedroom. In my bathroom."

A sharp laugh escaped me at the sheer gall of it.

"I'm warning you, Leo. Three minutes. Get her out of my sight. After that, I'm done being polite."

Lily nestled into his chest, fingers tugging at his sleeve, her voice going small and timid. "Leo... is she always this terrifying?" She gave a slow, pitying shake of her head. "No wonder. No wonder people say your mother-in-law Eleanor..." She let it hang, her eyes drifting to mine with a cold and deliberate gleam. "...was driven to her death by her own daughter."

Those words were like a blade.

Straight to the one secret I'd buried deepest.

My blood went cold. I couldn't breathe.

"You want to die."

Pure instinct swung my arm. The bat cut through the air.

A dull c***k.

Leo's arm shot up and locked around the bat, taking the full force of the blow for her.

The sound of something snapping rang out clearly.

His eyes went crimson as he stared me down.

"You are beyond saving, Vera."