The Tainted Lover's Cold Comeback

a P

biting at my exposed skin. My graduation gown was still clutc

ver years of clandestine operations screamed warni

this grand proposal. He was a master manipulator. And

purse. A text message. It was

I totally forgot to tell you! It was

ds were laced with feigned innocence, but

sorry. She

Grayson had dismissed a serious injury I sustai

d with concern for Camilla, not for me, bleeding

was a burden, a reason for him

d hotter than an

el on the outskirts of the city.

to the floor like a discarded skin. The scars on my arm, fa

e ceiling. Sleep wouldn't come. My mind

nd? So utterly devoted to a

as the heritage network. "Received. Standby f

he darkness. A chance for a re

me through. Not a text. A vi

play button. A part of me didn't want t

part that had survived and fough

pped

amilla, laughing, clinking champagne glasses. They

id, his voice soft, intimate

m. "To our perfectly executed pl

ran cold. The phone nearly

nya won't kno

a betrayal. It

that twisted my gut. "She's strong. She'll get o

. A pure bride for the Deleon empire. And yo

ils digging into my palms. Distr

he room was deafening, filled only with th

s in on it. She was a vipe

rchestrated my public humiliation, his word

e as "tainted" by the cartel. He saw me as a distractio

ce, forming a horrifying mo

ed to icy resolve. They wanted a game

at we want," Gr

ould get something far m

o disappear so completely that even his

phone, sending another message to

o. Deleted Camilla's tex

ld finish their game. Before they coul