Page 40 of Vows of Deceit
Cassie folded her arms. “Yes, it is. You just haven’t accepted it yet.”
“You humiliated me in front of everyone.”
“You humiliated yourself the moment you slept with my fiancé,” Cassie bit back.
“He was never yours to begin with.”
“Then why did he marry me?”
Kelly's lip curled. “To prove something. To make himself feel like the bigger man. You were always just the prize, Cassie. Not the choice.”
Cassie’s hand twitched at her side. “And you’re the cautionary tale. The woman who gave everything and still ended up alone.”
“Don’t act like you’ve won,” Kelly hissed. “You’ve just replaced him with another man to hide your brokenness.”
“Grayson isn’t a replacement,” Cassie said, stepping forward now, steady as steel. “He’s a reminder that I deserve more.”
Kelly’s eyes glittered with fury. “You’ll fall. You always do.”
Cassie smiled faintly. “And I’ll rise again. Every single time.”
The silence between them snapped like ice underfoot.
Kelly’s jaw clenched. She turned toward the door.
“You don’t get the last word, Cassie.”
Cassie followed her to the threshold. “I don’t need it. I’ve already said what needed to be said with actions, not words.”
The door closed in Kelly’s face.
And this time, she didn’t knock again.
Chapter Thirty One
Damien’s Shame
Damien’s POV
The boardroom was still when Damien stood at the head of the table. Twelve pairs of eyes, family members, executives, investors watched him like hawks.
He didn’t wear a tie today. Didn’t bother with his usual polished armor. His voice, when it came, was quiet.
“I’m stepping down. Effective immediately.”
A pause. No gasps. No outbursts. Just the low, disappointed exhale of Edward Sterling as he closed his leather portfolio. Elaine didn’t even look up. Leo, seated across the table, met Damien’s gaze and gave a slow nod. Quiet support. That mattered more than words.
Damien continued, “I take full responsibility for what I’ve done, both personally and professionally. I allowed my judgment to falter. I allowed ego and emotion to dictate my actions. I let my marriage collapse under lies. And I brought shame to this company.”
Edward finally looked up. “You’re not resigning. You’re buying time.”
Damien met his father’s eyes. “I’m seeking help. For the first time in my life. And if that isn’t enough for you, then I’ll turn in my shares too.”
Elaine stood abruptly. “Meeting adjourned.”
The room scattered, but Damien remained still for a long while. Then he turned and walked out not like a CEO, not like a Sterling but just a man trying to pick up the shards of his broken legacy.
Therapy was worse than he expected. Unpacking years of repressed emotion, perfectionism, and avoidance came with a brutal price. The mirror his therapist held up wasn’t kind. But it was honest. He talked about the affair. About Cassie. About how he’d grown up with silence as love and ambition as proof.
