The rewritten tales

Chapter 10: The Lie

"I saw Aria with another man."

The words slipped beneath the study door like poison.

For one terrible second, I couldn't breathe.

Mira's fingers tightened around my wrist.

Neither of us moved.

Inside the study, silence stretched.

Then Cassian spoke.

"Who?"

His voice was terrifyingly calm.

Seraphina hesitated.

"I don't know his name."

"Where?"

"At the east gardens."

"When?"

"This afternoon."

I closed my eyes.

Of course.

The east gardens.

That afternoon, I had been there alone for nearly twenty minutes.

Except—

I hadn't been alone.

Lord Everett had approached me.

We'd exchanged maybe five sentences.

Then Cassian had appeared and sent him away.

Anyone watching from a distance could have made it look suspicious.

Seraphina hadn't invented the entire lie.

She had simply taken something true and twisted it.

That was what made her dangerous.

"I didn't want to tell you," Seraphina continued. "But you're my oldest friend. I couldn't watch you be made a fool of."

My jaw tightened.

Mira mouthed, She's good.

I nodded.

She was.

Because Seraphina didn't sound jealous.

She sounded concerned.

Like a friend reluctantly delivering terrible news.

Like someone who hated hurting Cassian but loved him enough to tell him the truth.

It was exactly how she had manipulated him in the book.

Only this time, there was one difference.

Cassian knew me.

And I was beginning to realize that might be enough.

"Did you see them touch?"

Cassian's question made me blink.

Seraphina paused.

"No."

"Did you hear what they said?"

"No."

"Did Aria tell him she was interested in him?"

"No."

"Did he kiss her?"

"No."

"Did she kiss him?"

"No."

"Then what exactly did you see?"

Seraphina fell silent.

Mira's eyebrows shot up.

I nearly smiled.

Cassian's voice became colder.

"You said you saw my wife with another man."

"I did."

"That isn't what I asked."

Silence.

"I saw them talking."

"And you decided that meant she was unfaithful?"

"No."

Seraphina sounded wounded.

"I only thought you deserved to know."

"You should have asked her."

"I was afraid she would lie."

My stomach tightened.

There it was.

The seed.

Cassian would normally have accepted it.

But instead—

"You don't trust her?"

"No."

"And you expect me to trust your judgment about her?"

Seraphina went silent.

I could practically see the expression on her face.

For the first time tonight, she had miscalculated.

She'd forgotten something important.

Cassian wasn't the man from the book anymore.

He was my husband.

And I had spent weeks changing the way he looked at me.

He knew how I laughed.

How I teased him.

How I reached for his hand without thinking.

How I looked at him when I thought he wasn't watching.

He knew me.

Perhaps not completely.

But enough.

"I won't discuss my wife behind her back," Cassian said.

Seraphina's voice became tiny.

"I'm sorry."

"I know."

"Are you angry with me?"

"No."

A pause.

"But don't do this again."

My eyes widened.

Mira stared at me.

He actually told her off.

I almost laughed.

Then the study door opened.

Cassian stepped out.

His eyes landed on me immediately.

Then Mira.

Then the fact that we were standing directly outside his study.

His eyebrow lifted.

"How long have you been there?"

Mira pointed at me.

"She made me."

I stared at her.

"Traitor."

Cassian's mouth twitched.

Then his expression became serious.

He looked at me.

"Aria."

I swallowed.

"Yes?"

"Come with me."

---

He didn't take me to the study.

He took me outside.

The night air was cool against my skin.

For several seconds, neither of us spoke.

Then he turned toward me.

"Did you meet Everett this afternoon?"

I nodded.

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"Do I need to report every conversation I have?"

"No."

"Then why?"

"Because Seraphina saw you."

I sighed.

"Of course she did."

His eyes narrowed.

"You knew?"

"Not that she saw me."

I hesitated.

"But I knew she'd eventually try something."

Cassian stared at me.

"Why?"

I couldn't tell him the truth.

Not about the book.

Not about knowing exactly what Seraphina would do.

So I gave him the closest thing to the truth.

"Because she doesn't like me."

"She has never said that."

"She doesn't have to."

I looked away.

"She thinks she knows you better than I do."

Cassian stepped closer.

"Does that bother you?"

"Yes."

The honesty surprised even me.

He was quiet.

Then he lifted my chin.

"Why?"

"Because she's known you since childhood."

"And?"

"And I haven't."

His eyes softened.

"I don't care who knew me first."

My heart fluttered.

"I care about who knows me now."

I stared at him.

He brushed his thumb over my cheek.

"You."

I swallowed.

"Cassian..."

"I don't know what happened to you."

There it was again.

That sentence.

"You've changed."

I looked into his eyes.

"I know."

"But I like who you've become."

My heart hurt.

"Even if I'm difficult?"

"Especially then."

I laughed softly.

He smiled.

"Even if I tease you?"

"Constantly."

"Even if I'm jealous?"

His gaze darkened.

"You're jealous?"

I immediately regretted saying it.

"That's not what I meant."

"You said it."

"Forget it."

"No."

He stepped closer.

"I like knowing you care."

I looked up at him.

"And you?"

"What about me?"

"Are you jealous?"

His expression became unreadable.

"Of Everett?"

"Yes."

"Very."

My lips curved.

"How very honest."

"I don't like him."

"You barely know him."

"I don't need to."

I laughed.

"That's irrational."

"Probably."

His hand settled at my waist.

"But I'm not interested in being rational where you're concerned."

My breath caught.

"That's dangerous."

"So you've said."

He leaned closer.

"But you don't seem frightened."

"No."

"Why?"

I looked at him.

"Because I trust you."

Something in his expression softened.

He kissed my forehead.

Then my cheek.

And finally my lips.

It was slow.

Warm.

Not desperate.

Just enough to make me forget the cold night air.

When he pulled away, his forehead rested against mine.

"I trust you too."

Four words.

They should have been simple.

Instead, they felt like a promise.

---

The next morning, Mira burst into my room without knocking.

"She's done it again."

I sat up.

"Good morning to you too."

"Seraphina."

That woke me.

"What happened?"

Mira threw herself onto the edge of my bed.

"She invited Adrian to lunch."

"Alone?"

"Apparently."

I frowned.

"Why?"

"She told him she wanted to talk about something important."

"And?"

"He told her no."

I blinked.

"He actually said no?"

Mira grinned.

"Apparently Adrian Blackthorne has discovered the word."

I laughed.

"What did she say?"

"She said she was disappointed."

"That's it?"

"No."

Mira leaned closer.

"She told him she missed the way things used to be."

I stopped smiling.

"What did Adrian say?"

"He told her things change."

My eyebrows rose.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

Mira smiled.

"But then he came straight to me."

"Why?"

"He wanted me to know."

I smiled.

"That's actually sweet."

"Don't tell him I said that."

"Of course not."

Mira suddenly became serious.

"Aria."

"What?"

"She's losing them."

I looked at her.

"Yes."

"And that's going to make her dangerous."

I nodded.

"I know."

Mira picked up a pillow and hugged it.

"So what do we do?"

"We keep doing what we're doing."

"Seduction?"

"Not exactly."

I thought about Cassian last night.

About the way he'd said he trusted me.

"We make them choose us."

Mira stared at me.

"And if she tries to turn them against us?"

I smiled.

"Then we make sure she fails."

---

That evening, we had dinner together.

Cassian sat beside me.

Adrian sat beside Mira.

For once, everything felt easy.

Cassian's hand rested on my thigh beneath the table.

A secret touch.

One only I knew about.

I glanced at him.

He looked completely innocent.

I whispered,

"You're terrible."

"Why?"

"Because you're pretending nothing is happening."

His mouth curved.

"Is something happening?"

I pinched his arm.

He caught my hand.

His fingers intertwined with mine.

Across the table, Mira was laughing at something Adrian said.

For a moment, I allowed myself to believe we were safe.

Then the doors opened.

A servant stepped inside.

"Your Grace."

Cassian looked up.

"What is it?"

The servant bowed.

"A letter has arrived for Lady Aria."

My smile faded.

"For me?"

"Yes."

He approached and handed me a sealed envelope.

There was no name on it.

Only a black wax seal.

I opened it.

My eyes moved across the page.

And every bit of warmth left my body.

Mira noticed.

"What is it?"

I couldn't answer.

Cassian took the letter from my hand.

His eyes scanned the words.

His expression changed.

"Who sent this?"

I shook my head.

"I don't know."

He handed it back.

I looked down again.

There were only three lines.

You think you know the story.

You think you know what happens next.

But you forgot that stories can change.

My blood ran cold.

Mira stared at me.

"That's impossible."

I nodded.

"It is."

Cassian looked between us.

"What does it mean?"

I folded the letter.

"Nothing."

His eyes narrowed.

"Aria."

I forced a smile.

"It's nothing."

But as I looked across the table, I caught Seraphina standing in the doorway.

She wasn't smiling.

She wasn't pretending to be sweet.

She was simply watching me.

And for the first time since I'd arrived in this world...

I wondered whether I had underestimated her.

Because the letter hadn't been in the book.

And if someone else knew the story had changed—

then maybe we weren't the only ones rewriting it.