Page 35 of Vows of Deceit
“How could she do this?” she snapped, voice sharp enough to cut glass.
Edward Sterling sat in his leather armchair, calm as ever, flipping through the Wall Street Journal. “You mean how could your son sleep with her wife’s sister?”
Elaine shot him a glare. “Cassie humiliated us in front of the entire city. That display was theatrical.”
“It was justice,” he said simply.
Elaine’s lips twisted. “She aired our family's sins for applause. And now Kelly is being slaughtered in the press.”
“She earned it,” Charles said, folding the paper. “And you enabled her.”
Elaine turned away, rage simmering beneath her skin. She dialed Kelly. But the call went unanswered.
Kelly was holed up in her penthouse. Lights off. Blinds closed. Her phone buzzed relentlessly, calls from producers, agents, brand deals vanishing. The King social media accounts had disabled comments due to the influx of hate.
She stared at herself in the bathroom mirror, mascara smudged from the night before. Her face didn’t look like hers anymore. Her empire, what she thought was her quiet power had shattered in one evening.
And Cassie had done it with a smile. The fury came fast and hot. She screamed and threw her perfume bottle. It hit the marble and burst into shards.
She fell to her knees, sobbing. No apologies from Damien. No rescue from Elaine. Not even a message from her supposed friends.
She was alone.
For the first time.
Truly.
Meanwhile, Damien sat in his office, staring at the empty leather chair across from him. Leo had left an hour agowithout saying much, and Jared had gone radio silent. The company’s PR team had called an emergency meeting. But Damien couldn’t think past the image of Cassie slipping that ring off her finger.
She had loved him. Protected him. Chosen him when everyone else doubted and he had ruined it. The guilt clawed at his chest. He pulled open his drawer and saw it, their wedding photo. Her radiant smile. His arm around her waist. A perfect lie frozen in time. He placed it face-down.
Back at the King estate, Cassie stood by her window, the media still camped beyond the gate. Harper handed her tea.
“You okay?” she asked.
Cassie didn’t answer at first. Her eyes were focused on the storm of flashing lights outside.
“Everything’s changed,” she finally whispered.
Harper touched her shoulder. “No. Everything’s begun.”
Chapter Twenty Seven
Goodbye, Mr. Sterling
The office was cold, even though the summer sun streamed through the wide windows. Damien stood at the desk, nervously straightening a stack of papers that didn’t need straightening. When the door opened and Cassie stepped in, silence swelled between them.
She wore a simple black dress with no jewelry, no makeup save for a swipe of lipstick that matched the fire in her eyes. Her heels clicked softly against the floor as she approached.
He looked at her like a man who had already lost the only thing that mattered.
“Cassie,” he started, voice hoarse.
She held up a hand. “Don’t.”
He fell quiet. For a long moment, neither spoke.
Finally, she said, “You hurt me more than I thought anyone ever could.”
