Page 49 of Vows of Deceit
Kelly's eyes narrowed. Her expression held none of the practiced warmth expected from someone raised in their social circles. It was ice. Cassie stopped. Harper and Delia followed suit.
“Well,” Harper muttered, “this should be fun.”
Kelly straightened and strode toward them, heels striking the ground with precise indignation.
Delia took a defensive step closer to Cassie, but Cassie lifted a hand subtly. “Let her speak.”
Kelly stopped a foot away, her eyes raking over Cassie like she was the enemy in a boardroom war.
“You’ve certainly recovered quickly,” she said, voice dripping with disdain.
Cassie held her gaze. “You say that like I was the one who betrayed someone.”
Kelly’s mouth twisted. “Don’t play innocent. You blew up everything. The families, the press, Damien’s legacy.”
Harper cut in sharply, “He torched that legacy himself when he started the affair. Don’t rewrite the story.”
But Cassie remained calm. “If you’re here for an apology, you’re wasting your breath.”
“I’m here to remind you that your little act, your carefully curated victimhood left casualties. I lost all my jobs in the fallout. Our parents were humiliated. And Damien—”
“Got exactly what he earned,” Delia said flatly.
Kelly’s eyes flashed. “You think this is over? You think the world’s going to keep swooning over your redemption arc? Eventually, they’ll turn. They always do.”
Cassie stepped forward, her voice low but firm. “If they do, I’ll face it. On my terms. Not hiding behind a man. Notwrapped in deception. But with my name, my work, and my truth.”
Kelly didn’t flinch but her jaw tightened.
“I’m not your villain,” Cassie added. “I never was. But if you want to keep playing that part, go ahead. Just know the spotlight’s a lonely place.”
Kelly’s smile was brittle. “Enjoy it while it lasts.”
She turned and stalked off.
Silence lingered until Delia let out a slow whistle. “I give that a solid nine-point-five for dramatic exit.”
Harper nudged Cassie. “You okay?”
Cassie inhaled deeply, exhaled slowly. “I am. More than I thought I’d be.”
They walked into the café together, heads high. By the time their drinks arrived, Cassie’s phone buzzed.
BREAKING: Cassie King and Grayson Collin’s Love Story Rewrites the Rules of Power Couples
The headline made her laugh. Maybe the world hadn’t ended. Maybe it was just beginning.
Chapter Forty One
Full Circle
Cassie hadn’t set foot in the old Hawthorne estate in nearly five years. The estate was nestled in the rolling countryside two hours from the city, flanked by endless meadows and thick oak groves. The winding driveway brought her past manicured hedges, a crumbling stone fountain, and memories that rushed forward like waves.
She parked beneath the same arbor she’d run through as a girl, hand grazing the edge of a wooden beam weathered with time.
Everything felt untouched.
Timeless.
