Chapter 6

Caspian stared at the blood-soaked bandages on my wrists, horror etched across his face.

The heavy silence in the hotel suite was shattered by a commotion out in the hallway. Hurried footsteps and muffled shouting seeped through the thick wooden door.

"Let me go! I need to see her!" Elena's shrill voice pierced the silence.

Caspian didn't even look toward the sound. He stood up, his jaw clenched, and strode out of the bathroom.

I wrapped a towel around myself and cautiously followed him, stopping at the bedroom doorway.

Caspian yanked the suite door open.

Elena stood in the heavily guarded hallway, struggling against two massive bodyguards, an elderly man with a black medical bag hovering nearby.

She looked past Caspian's broad shoulders, her eyes landing on the blood-stained towel I was clutching tightly.

She gasped, pressing a slender finger against her chest.

"Oh, Sienna, you're bleeding again! I was so worried, I brought the family doctor right away."

Her performance was flawless, yet laced with a sickeningly sweet faux concern.

"Get out, Elena. Go back to your room and rest," Caspian ordered, his massive frame blocking the doorway.

His voice was low and dangerous, rumbling like thunder, leaving no room for argument.

Elena exaggerated a sigh, her shoulders slumping in a show of disappointment.

"I couldn't sleep, Caspian. Sienna slipping by the pool made me feel so guilty I've been awake all night. I just wanted to make sure she was okay."

I looked at the woman who had shoved me into the deep end.

"You don't have to pretend; no one here is applauding your performance."

Elena blinked, feigning innocent surprise, her eyes wide.

"I don't know what you mean. It was a terrible accident."

I crossed my arms, locking eyes with her.

"It's a shame you didn't notice the security cameras installed on the stone pillars by the pool."

Elena froze.

The color instantly drained from her face, leaving her pale and trembling.

I kept my face perfectly blank, giving her nothing.

"They recorded every word you said to me before you pushed me in. Shall we watch the footage together?"

Elena swiftly took a step back, her eyes darting toward the relative safety of the hallway.

"I... I suddenly remembered I have to make a call to my grandfather's associates."

She turned and practically ran down the hall, the doctor awkwardly retreating behind her.

The heavy door clicked shut, plunging us back into silence.

I relished the sudden quiet, refocusing my attention on the man standing in the center of the bathroom.

Caspian hadn't stopped staring at me.

His gaze was heavy, unreadable, locked onto my face as if searching for something I was no longer willing to give.

He grabbed a clean towel from the rack and walked toward me.

He draped the thick fabric over my trembling shoulders, his movements surprisingly gentle.

"Rest for tonight, we'll deal with this tomorrow."

I pulled the towel tighter, building a wall between us.

"Bring the mob lawyers with you, and the annulment papers."

Caspian stopped moving.

He didn't reply, but I heard the faint, abrasive grinding of his teeth-a dry rasp that spoke of a barely contained urge to rip something to shreds.

"If you don't bring them, I'll find my own way to break the oath."

The air in the room grew heavy, as if crushed by his sudden, suffocating rage.

His eyes darkened, flashing with a terrifying possessiveness that made me shiver.

"You are mine, and I will never divorce you." He turned his back and marched stiffly out of the bedroom.

I heard the heavy door click shut, followed by a long, suffocating silence.

I walked over to the nightstand and picked up my phone.

The screen lit up, asking for a passcode.

Without even thinking, I entered Caspian's birthday-the numbers had become muscle memory.

The phone unlocked instantly.

I scoffed at my past self's pathetic devotion.

I went straight into the settings and changed the passcode to my own birthday.

I severed that pathetic little connection I had with him.

A notification popped up at the top of the screen.

It was a short, authoritative text from Caspian.

"Rest well. Wait for me there tomorrow."

I sneered. Why should I listen to him?