Page 155 of Obsession

“Anytime.” Armand starts to walk away, but opens his mouth to say something. Then he closes it, as if thinking better of it. Heturns away. She turns her back to him, her head down. This is where he’ll call the Castellanos, I know it.

Armand picks up his phone, taps a button, and the car I’m in with Joe explodes.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Violet

I’m still reelingfrom processing all of this, but my senses are on alert, waiting for the attack from Armand’s family. If Skylar, Cain, and I are right, then he’s planned to manipulate me with this knowledge.

Or did he just come here to tattle on Cain? He did it like he’s feigning guilt…

I walk away, imagining I’m walking away from… everything. Everyone.

For months, he had me watch you. Stalk you. He has days and weeks’ worth of footage just watching you sleep. I had to monitor where you were, every time, and he never planned on telling you.Armand had a look of triumph in his eyes when he told me this, like he’d been holding the trump card and now is throwing it down on the table with a flourish.Ta-da!

Cain didn’t plan on telling me? No. No, that isn’t true, because Cain told me himself. Just because it wasn’twhenI wanted him to…

He didn’t lie to me. He hid the truth from me, and one could argue that is the same as lying, but when I ask for the truth, he’s given me nothing but truth.

I had to learn to trust.

Would I have run if he’d told me the truth sooner? Hell yes.

Then as soon as I start mentally going there, I force myself to remember my anger, my frustration and outrage at him.

No.I can’t just forgive him for this.

What he did was wrong, so fucking wrong.

But isn’t that what it means to forgive someone?

I shake my head because I can’t think about this right now. I have to stay focused right here and now on what I’m doing and where I am. I look around me but pretend to be distraught. I go to wipe fake tears from my eyes when I realize they aren’t fake at all.

It takes courage to tell the truth when you fear the outcome.

It takes courage to forgive someone and stay despite wanting to leave.

Cain is courageous.

And so am I.

I take one more step toward the tall willows that line the walkways when I hear aboomthat rattles my teeth. I turn around sharply to see what caused the noise.

Cain’s car.

People around us scream, running past the fire that erupts like the fire of a dragon. I push through the people swarming past me and run straight toward the fire.

“Cain!” I scream, my voice drowning in the sounds of screams around us and the blast of fire and broken glass. “Cain!”

I see him, slumped over in the passenger seat, Joe sprawled out on the pavement.

It would take two of me to drag a man the size of Cain away from anything. It looks like Joe is semi-awake, as he stumbles away from the billowing flames. I tug uselessly on one of Cain’s arms, but I can’t move him an inch.

“Wake up,” I sob, yanking on him with all my might. “I can’t carry you, Cain. Wakeup!”

Even with the thrill of fear and adrenaline consuming me, I can’t move him at all. I sob freely, yanking at him. It’s then that I realize he isn’t going to wake up.

I have to get him out, or he doesn’t survive.

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