Chapter 2
flickered to life with something else entirely.
It was Jenna, entangled with a series of different men, her actions lewd, the images graphic and obscene.
Jenna’s head snapped towards the screen, a strangled
now!”
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tearing from her throat. “It’s fake! It’s all fake! Turn it off! Turn it off
But it was too late. In high–definition, the camera had captured every detail, down to the small mole on her waist.
“Caden, it’s not real! Someone is trying to frame me!” she cried, turning to him desperately.
Caden’s face was a blank, emotionless mask. “I know,” he said calmly.
Jenna’s shoulders slumped in relief. She stepped forward to touch him, but he kicked her legs out from under her, sending her
sprawling to the floor.
As she stared up at him in disbelief, he spoke, his voice carrying through the silent, shocked hall. “I know they’re real. Because
was standing just a few feet away when they were taken.”
Jenna shook her head frantically. “Why? Why would you do this to me?”
the screen changed. It was now a
Why to hear
He didn’t answer her. Instead, he simply pressed a button on a remote in his hand. The image
video of her and her mother in the hospital room, their entire conversation playing out for the
Jenna’s heart sank. He had heard everything that day. He had been playing a long game, waiting for this very moment.
The screen changed again. It was now footage from his cellar. One by one, the kidnappers confessed, their tough facades broken
by Caden’s methods. They laid out the entire plot: how Jenna and her mother had hired them to destroy Annette.
Her world had crumbled. It was all over.
>
“So,” she whispered, her voice hoarse, “when did you know?”
Caden loosened his tie. “I’ve always known.”
–
A wild, hysterical laugh bubbled up from Jenna’s chest. “You’ve always known? And you just let me stay by your side, let me hurt
Annette, piece by piece? You even helped me! You claim to love her, so why did you help me destroy that fool?”
A shadow of deep, profound pain crossed Caden’s face. “What I owe Annette,” he said, his voice heavy, “I will repay.”
“Repay it? You’ll never get the chance! Annette’s dead! All your regret won’t bring her back!” Jenna’s eyes gleamed with madness.
“And you think this is enough to destroy me? You’re dreaming!”
She looked out at the crowd, and a group of grim–faced men suddenly stood up. They were armed.
“You dare to harm our young mistress?” their leader snarled. “You must have a death wish!”
As the guests cried out in panic, a portly, imposing man walked onto the stage and stood before Jenna. “Don’t be afraid, my dear
daughter. Daddy won’t let anyone hurt you or your mother.”
Even with his attempt at a disguise, people recognized him. He was the infamous head of a ruthless cross–border cartel.
Jenna and her mother rushed into his arms. Annette’s father, Mr. Croft, turned pale, the devastating truth of his life crashing down
on him. For this woman and her daughter, he had driven his first wife to death and allowed his own child to be murdered.
“Croft, you green–hatted fool,” the cartel boss sneered. “For raising my wife and daughter all these years, I’ll let you live. But you’d better know your place.”
His gaze then shifted to Caden, his eyes glittering with menace. “Astor. If you come to your senses and marry my daughter right now, I’ll spare your life. But if you insist on being a hero, I can have you shipped to my territory. You’ll beg for a death that will never
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Chapter 2
come. Life or death. The choice is yours.”
”
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Jenna swaggered forward, her confidence restored. “Caden, be smart. Besides,” she added with a smirk, “for the past year, I’ve I been putting something special in your food every day. You’re addicted now. You
Caden’s expression remained unchanged. “And what makes you so su
can’t live without me.”
you’re wa
He lifted his head, his gaze cool and proud, and looked towards the doors
A series of explosions rocked the building The dor burst open, and
and arresting the cartel members.
out of here today?”
grand hall.
and fully–armed tactical police
“Caden, you son of a bitch!” Jenna shrieked as the cuffs closed around her wri
Caden looked down at the woman who had caused so much pain. “Jenna,” he
past life, too.”
“I never loved you. The only reason I played along with your little drama
was to
swarmed in, swiftly overpowering
his voice quiet but clear. “I came back from my
ep you from hurting Annette.”
Jenna’s sanity finally snapped. She laughed, a sound that was both triumphant and broken. “And
d you think you’ve won? You talk regret mean nothing! I’ll be
about saving Annette, but you hurt her more than anyone! She’s dead now, Caden All your love and
waiting for you in hell, watching you suffer, watching you live an eternity of pain and regret!”
As the chaos subsided and the police led everyone away, Caden stood alone amidst the wreckage of the wedding, whispering to
the empty room.
“She’s right. I do love Annette.”
“In this life and the last, she is the only one I have ever loved. And I will love her until the end of time.
