Page 55 of Saint

He practically spit the final word out, pinning her with a glare full of loathing, but Mia refused to cower. For the first time in her life, she was going to stand up to Chadwick Carlisle.

“Don’t call me that. I don’t want your name or your money or anything to do with you ever again!”

An evil smirk curved his mouth. “Consider yourself disinherited. You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to say that.” The pure resentment lacing his voice startled her. They’d never had a good relationship, but he was looking at her like shit stuck on the bottom of his Gucci loafer.

But his next words truly stunned her.

“I never wanted a daughter, as I’m sure you’re well aware. But when I married your mother, you were a package deal.”

What?

Mia reeled. “What are you talking about?”

“You arenotmy blood. Just an ungrateful stepchild. Your mother and I married because everyone expected it. We both came from the same elite background and ran in all the same circles. But before we walked down the aisle, that whore wanted to change her mind. She claimed she’d fallen in love with some dock worker.”

He said the last two words as though they were filthy. Suddenly, everything made sense—why he never came aroundor showed her any love, why he never seemed to miss her mother, and why she’d sometimes caught him looking at her like she was the Devil’s spawn.

Chadwick Carlisle, evil personified, wasnother father.

Thank God.

She resisted the overpowering urge to let out a cry of gratitude and it felt like the heaviest of weights had fallen off her shoulders.

“I was on the verge of leaving her because I had my suspicions,” he continued bitterly, “but our parents pressured us into the marriage. Her parents even threatened to cut her off. And your poor, dear mother had never worked a day in her privileged life. She was too fragile and the idea of having to get a job terrified her. The woman might’ve been in love with a blue-collar worker, but she wasn’t cut out to be a poor man’s wife. Plus, there was the very inconvenient fact that the whore got knocked up and didn’t tell me until we’d already exchanged our vows.

“Despite my better judgment, we agreed to pretend you were ours, but the bitter truth was always right there in front of my face. You’re not mine, I never wanted you, and then your mother died and left me to deal with her unfaithfulness. What was I supposed to do with you? Everyone believed you were mine since we’d perpetuated the lie, so I couldn’t just cut and run. You were merely a constant and uncomfortable reminder of her infidelity.”

Shock pummeled through Mia and she couldn’t find the words to properly express her relief and delight in Chadwick’s revelation. Beside them, Salinger shifted awkwardly.

“Do you know what happened to my real father?” she asked, head spinning. She didn’t care if he didn’t have two pennies to rub together. If her real dad was out there somewhere, she was going to find him.

“Do you think I’d let that trash get away with fucking my fiancée?”

Mia’s heart sank.No, no, no.“What did you do?” she whispered, but deep down, she already knew the answer.

“I had him taken care of,” he stated without emotion. “Then cancer took care of your mother. It all worked out.”

The cold-blooded, dispassionate tone in his voice rocked her to the core.

“Except for you, of course. But, you’ll finally be taken care of soon enough.”

God.The man was a cold-hearted bastard. Worse than she ever thought possible.

“Where’s Nik?” she asked, desperate to make sure he was okay and that Chadwick hadn’t disposed of him, too. Losing Nik would scar her for life. Because she couldn’t lose the man she was falling in love with.

At some point on their adventure, Nik had grown to mean more to her than she ever imagined possible. He saw her for who she really was and he’d cared for her when she felt like no one else in the world did. Sure, it all started out a little unorthodox, but he’d protected her over and over. She could still see the fierce look in his eyes when her father’s men had raided the cabin. Right before they took him down, he’d been on the verge of leaping into action and trying to shield her from danger again.

God, her stupid childish yearning to please her father had screwed everything up. If Nik was—

“He’s secure,” Chadwick assured her, interrupting her thoughts. His mouth curved up again in a sickening grin. “In fact, if you stop fighting me, I’ll take you to him.”

Chadwick and Salinger began walking again and she jogged to keep up. After several turns, she realized the place was pretty much empty. Other than five or so guards and them, it was quiet.

At least, it was until she heard a shout of pain.

She immediately recognized Nik’s agonized voice. “Where is he?” she hissed.

“Don’t worry, I have a front row seat waiting for you,” he confirmed, and Salinger laughed.

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