Chapter 2
The men were sprawled across the room, tangled and half–naked, like at scene from a bad movie.
Anastasia pouted pitifully. “Someone must’ve set me up. I swear!”
I couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh.
I knew exactly who she meant by “someone.” She meant me.
Last time around, I’d gone out of my way to return a coat she’d left at my place. Just trying to be a decent person.
I knocked on Sylas’s younger brother’s door–Orlando Howell’s place. But before I could knock again, I heard noises. Loud, unmistakable noises.
Some random guy’s voice came through the door, panting and laughing. “Nothing’s more thrilling than banging someone else’s wife. You sure your husband won’t wake up?”
Anastasia giggled back, all flirty. “Relax, I gave him enough sedatives to keep him out cold all day. Knock yourself out.”
I lost it. I slammed my fist on the door.
It took forever before it creaked open.
Anastasia stood there with a disheveled couple–half–dressed, hair a mess. -and Orlando was still completely passed out on the bed.
I didn’t know what to do. I just rushed home.
The second I saw Sylas, I felt like I had someone to lean on. I spilled
everything breathlessly.
“Sylas, I think Anastasia’s running some kind of swinger party at Orlando’s place. Orlando looks totally drugged out. You need to go check on him–I think he’s in danger.”
Before I could finish, his hand was around my throat.
“Anastasia just called me. She said you tried to seduce Orlando, and she caught you. Now you’re threatening her and spreading lies. She was so scared that she ran to the beach.
“You better pray she’s okay. If anything happens to her…”
He shoved past me and took off like his life depended on it. I collapsed onto the floor, completely stunned.
Later, Anastasia pretended to throw herself into the ocean. Orlando jumped in after her.
Both of them vanished–no one ever found a body.
Eventually, Sylas came back. But Anastasia never did.
He went quiet for a long time, like he’d lost the love of his life.
But I didn’t realize then that silence was just the calm before the storm.
He was plotting revenge. He’d already decided it was my fault she “died.”
Back then, I didn’t get it.
If he didn’t love me, why chase me so hard? Why fight so hard to marry me, even against his family’s wishes?
Now I know. It wasn’t love. It was a trap. A knock on the door jolted me out of my thoughts. The cops cleared their throats awkwardly.
Chapter 2
“Sorry, Mr. Howell, but we need to investigate this thoroughly. I’m going to have to ask you both to come with us.
“As for the young lady’s claim that she was framed–we’ll need names and solid evidence to back that up.”
Sylas’s cold eyes turned straight to me.
“She did it.
“She set Anastasia up.”
The smile on my face froze. My heart stung.
Even after coming back to life–even knowing Anastasia wasn’t dead–he still chose to sacrifice me for her.
One of the officers gave me a long, complicated look.
“If that’s the case, we’ll need you to come with us too.”
Arnold tried to step forward, but I stopped him with a light touch.
My voice dropped to a whisper.
“You promised–you wouldn’t interfere. This is my revenge. Just go do what I asked.”
Arnold was my ace. It wasn’t time to play that card just yet.
Sylas gently cradled Anastasia in his arms and walked right past me like I didn’t exist.-
At the station, the models stuck to their story.
Said I ordered them to frame Anastasia.
06.037
But when the officers asked for proof, their phones were empty. Transfer records were wiped. Messages were gone.
They went pale fast. The cops weren’t stupid. They saw the panic in their eyes. They knew something was off.
Because of “insufficient evidence,” Anastasia got off–thanks to Sylas pulling every string he had to bail her out.
When we were leaving, one of the officers escorted me to the door with a sheepish smile.
“Sorry for disrupting your, uh, private activities. Just doing our job, hope you understand.”
Sylas froze.
“What did you just say?”
The officer turned back, looking confused. “If she hadn’t shown us the marriage certificate, things would’ve been a real mess.”
Sylas yanked me aside roughly, lowering his voice to a growl. “Kiara Tillery! Who told you it was okay to wave our marriage certificate around like it meant something?”
I scoffed. “Please. Did he really think being married to him was something to brag about?” I thought.
Anastasia might have worshipped the ground he walked on, but I didn’t. I’d signed the divorce papers ages ago–and handed them to him myself.
He didn’t even look at them. Just signed. Didn’t even remember we were already divorced.
I recall the day we received our marriage certificate. His hand was shaking when he signed the papers.
Chapter 2
I thought it was because he was nervous, because he loved me so much.
What a joke. He was hesitating because he didn’t love me. Because he couldn’t marry the woman he really wanted.
Thinking he ever cared about me was the biggest joke of all.
Back at the station, Anastasia’s voice trembled with perfectly timed sympathy.
“Sylas,don’t blame Kiara. She just loves you too much, that’s all.”
