Cadence POV:
The door of the Bentley closed with a soft, expensive thud, sealing me inside with my new husband. I clutched the marriage certificate in my hand, the paper already starting to crinkle from the force of my grip.
I stared out the window, watching the city lights smear across the glass as we moved. None of it felt real. The party, the betrayal, the man sitting beside me.
Kane didn't start the car immediately. Instead, he held out a brand-new, sleek black phone. "Your contact information."
I took it from him. The screen lit up, showing a single contact already saved.
'Husband'.
A strange heat crept up my neck, warming the tips of my ears. I quickly keyed in my number, my fingers feeling clumsy and foreign on the smooth glass.
Then, I took a deep breath. It was time to start cutting the strings.
With the new phone pressed to my ear, I dialed Karter's number. It rang for a long time. When he finally answered, the background was filled with the noise of the party, of Bridgette's high-pitched laughter.
"Cadence?" Karter's voice was impatient, annoyed. "What new drama are you trying to start now?"
The casual cruelty of his words was a sharp jab to my already bruised heart. But a layer of ice was forming over the wound.
"Karter," I said, my voice flat and even. "I'm calling to officially inform you, for the last time, that we are over. Completely."
A humorless laugh crackled through the line. "Are you tired of this game already? Just stop with the theatrics and come back." He was so certain. So arrogant. He couldn't imagine a world where I didn't belong to him.
I didn't argue. I didn't say another word.
I ended the call and blocked his number. The series of taps on the screen felt final. Cleansing.
Kane had been watching me the entire time, his silence a heavy presence in the car. When I looked up, I saw a flicker of something that looked like approval in his ice-gray eyes.
My next call was to my mother.
I didn't waste time with pleasantries. "Mother, I just finished the blind date you arranged.Now, I want back what is rightfully mine, the property left to me in my father's will, the Seraphina Grand Hotel."
The silence on the other end of the line was profound. I could almost picture her face, the shock warring with disbelief.
"What are you talking about?" her voice finally came, sharp and shrill. "The Seraphina Grand Hotel was left to the family!"
A cold smile touched my lips. "The will is very clear. The hotel's penthouse and fifty-one percent of the shares are to be transferred to me upon my twenty-third birthday.You've been hiding it from me all along, telling me to keep going on blind dates. Alright, now I'll do as you say. "
I turned to the man beside me and spoke into the phone with a threatening tone, "Or should I just reject this blind date outright?"
Silence fell. I could hear the gears in her head spinning rapidly, her mind racing with calculations; it seemed her mother really valued this blind date.
"Fine," she finally bit out, the word dripping with resentment. "I agree."
Hanging up, I felt a wave of exhaustion wash over me. It felt like I had just fought a war.
Kane finally started the engine, the car gliding silently into the flow of traffic. "Home?" he asked, his voice a low rumble.
"No," I shook my head, my own voice hoarse. "Take me to my... to the apartment I was staying at. I need to get my things."
We pulled up in front of the luxury apartment building Karter had provided for me. My gilded cage.
Before I could get out, Kane's voice stopped me. "Cadence."
I turned. He was holding out a slim, black credit card. "No limit. As my 'partner,' you will not want for anything."
I stared at the card. It felt heavy in my hand, a tangible symbol of this bizarre new reality. My pride bristled, but my pragmatism won. I needed resources. I needed independence.
"Thank you," I murmured, my voice barely a whisper.
Then I got out of the car, and without looking back, I walked into the building that held all the ghosts of my past.
