Page 117 of Cruel Delights
“What are you doing here?”
The willowy woman sits up in a stretch of long limbs. She moves as if desperate to prove her grace, as if there’s an imaginary camera snapping away. The pose she strikes with her legs bent and her hands extended behind her feels like she’s modeling.
“I wanted to chat,” she answers silkily. “Just us girls.”
“How did you get into my apartment?”
“Never mind that. Come, sit.”
“Get the fuck out of my room. I will call the cops.”
She laughs, her eyes closing and mouth opening. Yet another pose. “Silly you. We both know you won’t do that. Besides, there’s no reason. I’m just here to talk about Kaden. You know—the man you’ve stolen from me.”
“Kaden goes where he wants to go.”
The smile drops off her face. The result is a sharp scowl. “We have always had something very special that someone like you wouldn’t understand.”
“I highly doubt that considering he says the opposite.”
“You know nothing.” She finally gives up the unbothered charade of model poses on my bed and rises onto her feet.
It’s as she stands that I realize what she’s wearing—the same T-shirt of Kaden’s I had worn the day she dropped by his apartment and she caught us.
I take a step back, dumbfounded by the woman in front of me. If she ever had pants and shoes on, she’s ditched them for this confrontation.
“This is the last time I’m telling you to go.”
“You don’t love him like I love him,” she spits, stepping toward me. “You wouldn’t dare accept him for the man he truly is. A stupid, boring girl like you from the slums can’t begin to make him feel the way I do. You’ve gotten in over your head. I saw the worry on your face from the window—you’re already overwhelmed, and you don’t know the half of it.”
“You really are a crazy bitch.” I pull out my phone.
Celeste remains unfazed. She puts her hands on her narrow waist and says, “Do you want to know the truth about him? I can tell you things about him that will make your skin crawl. The man you think is your perfect Prince Charming is no man at all. He’s really a monster. Allow me to show you.”
27Kaden
Destroy Myself Just for You - Montell Fish
Someday, Lyra will truly grasp the trouble I’ve gone through for her. I’ve kept her alive when she was supposed to be six feet under. I’ve looked out for her and ensured those who have wronged her have been punished. On more than one occasion, I’ve sought ways to enrich her life.
My methods may be controversial and unconventional; however, they have garnered results. They have put her in a better position than where she started.
She can’t possibly begin to understand how fortunate she should feel—how I have demonstrated she is the rarest exception.
Though I’m still sorting out why I have been compelled to spare her in the first place. Where my protective, obsessive instincts as far as she’s concerned even come from…
And still, my fascination with her has only grown.
I’ve gone from monitoring the cameras I have installed in her bedroom to hacking into her computer accounts and sifting through her entire online footprint. I read through her emails and private messages. I look up her search history and browse the collection of photos saved on her laptop.
She’s been trying to dig up more information on my family. Search results turned up paltry offerings. The few she did find, she bookmarked. Each one from a finance journal discussing my father’s business resume and background. Most of the info included is either incorrect or outdated.
She found even less on me.
I’m not angry she’s researching my family and me. Part of human nature is curiosity. However, it does demonstrate Lyra isn’t ready for the truth.
It terrifies her to think I’m not the man she hopes I am.
I’ve always recognized this would be the case. It doesn’t deter me from making my decision.