Page 154 of Ruthless God

The moments that felt off.

The way he knew too much.

The way he could be so different. So cold, so distant, so dangerous one moment, and then warm, teasing, even tender the next.

Because he wasn’t pretending to be Claudius.

He was pretending to be Gabriel.

Because Gabriel is dead. And Claudius has been the only one left. The whole time.

Two sides of the same coin.

The golden son. The shadow in the dark. The heir and the ghost. He has been both. He has been everything.

My stomach churns. I want to scream. To run. To wake up from this nightmare.

But I don’t get the chance.

Because a voice cuts through the silence like a blade. Low. Smooth. Too close.

“Well.” A slow, measured pause. Like he’s savoring this. “I was wondering when you’d figure it out.”

A breath shudders through me. Millie goes still, as if she’s worried for her life.

I turn. And he’s there. Standing in the doorway.

Watching.

Smiling.

Waiting.

The man I thought I knew. The man who was never real.

Claudius Irons.

The only one who has existed since that night on the cliff. Since he killed his twin. Since he took over his life.

The room feels smaller. Claustrophobic. Like the walls are closing in. Like I’m trapped. Because I am.

Claudius stands in the doorway, watching me like a predator savoring the moment before it strikes. His smile is slow, self-satisfied.

I swallow, forcing words past the tightness in my throat. “You killed him.”

His head tilts in amusement. “Did I?”

“Gabriel is dead. You took his place. You lied.”

But Claudius just exhales slowly, shaking his head. “Oh, Cecely.”

He steps inside, closing the door behind him. Millie stiffens beside me.

Claudius’ gaze lazily drags over my face, assessing me like I’m some puzzle he’s already solved.

“You still don’t understand, do you?”

My stomach twists. I understand plenty!

---