Riley’s POV
I turned to leave.
I ant it this ti. I wasn’t bluffing, I wasn’t waiting for anyone to stop , and I definitely wasn’t staying back to argue again. I had said what I needed to say, and I was done standing there letting people talk over like I didn’t matter.
I took a step forward.
Then suddenly—
His hand grabbed my arm.
Before I could react, he pulled back hard and slamd against the wall.
The impact shocked , not because it hurt, but because I didn’t expect it from him.
Caden stepped in close imdiately, too close. Our faces were barely inches apart, and I could feel his grip tighten just enough to keep from pushing past him.
"What the hell are you doing?" I snapped, trying to pull my arm free.
He didn’t let go.
Instead, he leaned in slightly, his voice low but serious.
"Do you rember when we first t you?" he asked.
The question threw off.
"What?" I said, frowning.
"Back at that club," he continued, his eyes locked on mine. "You were a ss. You were wrecked. Ethan had just gotten to you to the peak."
I blinked, confused.
Why was he bringing that up now?
"That was a long ti ago," I said, trying to pull away again. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"We had a deal with you, Riley," he said firmly. "You don’t just get to walk away from that."
I stared at him like he had lost his mind.
"A deal?" I repeated.
"Yes," he said.
That was it.
I pushed him off hard, forcing space between us.
"Are you serious right now?" I snapped.
He didn’t step back much, but he let go.
I didn’t wait.
I went off in anger.
"Ever since I got here, it’s been one problem after another," I said, my voice rising without trying to hold it back. "One ss after another. One situation after another where my life is sohow involved."
He opened his mouth, but I didn’t let him speak.
"No, don’t interrupt ," I said sharply. "I’m not done."
He stayed quiet.
"From one attack to another, from one stupid ritual to another, from people trying to kill to people trying to use ," I continued. "Do you know how many tis my life has been at risk since I stepped into this place?"
I stepped closer to him.
"Because I do," I said. "I can count every single one of them."
He clenched his jaw slightly.
"And let’s not even start with how many tis I’ve been crossed by people who are supposed to be my mates," I added.
That hit.
"Perhaps you’re not so different from Ethan after all," I finished.
That was the mont his expression snapped.
"We are nothing like him," Caden said sharply.
I could hear the anger in his voice now.
"Ethan is a psycho," he continued. "He killed your child. Do I need to remind you of that? He used you. He never cared about you."
The words landed, but I didn’t step back.
"And you do?" I shot back imdiately.
That stopped him.
"Tell , Caden," I continued, stepping closer again. "Are you and your brothers not using right now?"
He didn’t answer.
"Do you love ?" I asked.
The question ca out before I could stop it.
And the mont it did, everything went quiet.
He froze.
I saw it clearly. He wasn’t expecting that. Not from and definitely not like this.
But I didn’t look away.
I already knew the answer.
Still... I wanted to hear it.
He took a small step back. Then another.
Finally, he spoke.
"We don’t do love, Riley," he said simply.
That was it. I let out a short laugh. Not because it was funny.
Because it confird everything.
"Of course you don’t," I said.
I shook my head.
"Then I really have no reason to stay here," I continued.
He didn’t stop this ti.
"As for the marriage contract, I don’t care anymore," I added. "You can go ahead with it, cancel it, do whatever you want. I’m done."
I turned around.
And this ti, I walked away for real.
I didn’t stop. I didn’t look back. I just kept moving.
And as I walked, the thoughts started hitting harder.
Oh Riley, you’re so stupid.
You stayed this long thinking sothing would change.
You let yourself believe there was sothing real here.
You let yourself think they cared.
I shook my head slightly as I walked, trying to ignore how that realization sat in my mind.
This place was big, but I had been around enough to rember parts of it. I didn’t waste ti wandering around, I went straight toward the room I had been using.
When I reached it, I pushed the door open.
I stepped inside and looked around.
I didn’t even bring anything with when I ca here.
I moved quickly.
I grabbed a small bag and started throwing in whatever I could find. A few dresses, so clothes, nothing organized, nothing careful. I didn’t care. I just wanted to leave.
I opened a drawer and grabbed a few more things, then turned toward the bed.
That was when I saw my phone.
I paused for a second. I had completely forgotten about it.
It was just lying there on the bed like it had been waiting for to notice it.
I walked over and picked it up.
It still had battery.
I stared at it for a second, thinking about how long it had been since I even touched it.
Then I shook it off and slipped it into my bag.
I was about to leave.
I had everything I needed.
Or at least, everything I cared to take.
I walked toward the door but then—
My phone rang.
I stopped.
For a second, I considered ignoring it.
But sothing made pull it out.
I looked at the screen.
Anna.
I froze for a second.
"Oh damn," I muttered under my breath.
It had been so long. The company and everything I left behind.
I didn’t even know how things were running now, but the brothers had said they put soone in charge while I was gone.
I answered the call.
"Hi Anna, how’s—"
"Miss Riley!"
Her voice ca through imdiately, loud and excited.
I paused slightly. She sounded... relieved yet scared.
"Yeah, Anna," I said. "How are—"
"Are you in Obsidian Veil?" she cut in.
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