Lib Novel Page 29
The silence stretched again, taut as a wire, as his gaze bore into me, perhaps seeking the lies he’d grown accustomed to finding. But there were none; my declaration was as raw and honest as the pulse thrumming in my neck.
He shook his head slowly, the motion a dance of shadows in the dim light. A laugh, hollow and laced with disbelief, escaped him as he stared at me, incredulous. “You’re insane if you think I’d want to marry you. I’m not doing this because I want to, Agent Harper. And you’re definitely insane if you believe I could ever trust a liar like you.”
It made me want to break, to scream, to take him by the shoulders and shake him until he understood. Instead, I straightened my back and lifted my chin, meeting his scorn with unwavering resolve. “We told your father we would do it, Nathan.”
“I know, but you’re talking about it like it’s something you think I would want, and I don’t,” he said.
I bit back the sting of his words, knowing this was no moment for vulnerability. Instead, I squared my shoulders, meeting his scorn with unwavering resolve. “We told Kenny Zhou we would do it, Nathan…and you’ve said yourself that no one goes back on their word with him. We need to keep up the ruse. It’s the only way. You told me that.”
He stared at me, quietly, unflinching.
“Is that why you’re quiet? Because somewhere deep down, behind all that anger and pride, you know I’m right?” I asked, my voice cutting through the tension.
He sat totally still, a dark sentinel against the backdrop of his opulent bedroom, the lamplight and dense plants in the corners casting strange shadows across his face. For a moment, he looked more like a statue than a man, but then he gave a barely perceptible nod. That was all. No words, no agreement voiced aloud, just an acknowledgment of the truth.
I exhaled slowly, trying to hide the tremor in my breath. “You don’t have to like me, Nathan. Hell, you can even hate me if that’s what gets you through this. But we’re doing this to keep each other safe—to protect our families.” My thoughts flashed to my father, his green eyes always tinged with worry beneath his grizzled brows. “That should be enough for both of us.”
He scoffed, picking up his head to look me in the eyes.
“Remember this,” Nathan suddenly snapped, pinning me with a penetrating stare. “You might wear my ring and share my name, but don’t ever fool yourself into thinking you’re more than what you are.”
His words were a slap, cold and hard, and they stung far more than I wanted to admit. But I squared my shoulders, refusing to let him see just how deep the cut went. “And what is that, Nathan? Please, enlighten me.”
His lips twisted into a cruel smile, and he closed the distance between us until I could feel the heat radiating from his body. “A pawn. A tool. An asset.” Each word was a deliberate strike, meant to wound, to remind me of my place in this dangerous game we played. “On paper, you’ll be my wife,” he said, voice low and lethal. “But in reality, you’ll always just be my whore.”
I flinched, but before I could formulate a response, he moved–swift and smooth.
And just like that, he was gone.
Chapter Fifteen: Nathan
The steering wheel felt cold beneath my grip, a reminder of the chill that had settled both outside and within me. As I drove to the jeweler’s, my heart thumped erratically against my ribcage, each beat a conflicted echo of Abby’s words. They were true, painfully so, yet part of me—a stubborn, foolish part—still yearned to slip a ring on her finger, to claim her as mine in every sense.
I tried focusing on the road ahead, but last night’s conversation with Ma haunted me, playing over in my mind like a broken record. She was scared. Said Ba had grown paranoid, his mind a dark labyrinth with no way out but violence.
And she had reason to be afraid; I knew firsthand how deep his madness ran.
It had been close to a decade since he’d last beaten me, but the blows had come fast and frequently when I was a kid. After he’d come home from Hong Kong, he’d become the monster that stalked the waking nightmare that was my life…and I knew he would hurt any of us, given the chance.
I had to do this for all of us—for myself, for Abby, my mother and siblings…even Alex, even if he was guilty.
Parking outside the jeweler’s, I exhaled, trying to steady my nerves. The reflection in the rearview mirror showed a man teetering on the edge of two lives—the one he was born into and the one he longed to have. But there was no room for hesitation; decisions had to be made, actions taken.
I stepped out of the car, the cold air snapping at my cheeks. Lily was already there, her presence a silent comfort. But she wasn’t alone—Justin leaned against the wall beside her, an uninvited shadow in our midst. I hadn’t seen him since the blowup at dinner, when he’d invited
“Didn’t expect to see you here,” I said.
“Thought I’d tag along,” Justin replied, his grin lopsided, a mask that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Good,” I lied with ease, clapping him on the shoulder. “Glad you’re here.” In truth, it was a relief to see him; lately, it felt like any one of us could be snatched away by Ba’s spiraling delusions.
“Ready to do this?” Lily asked, her tone light but her eyes searching mine for signs of weariness.
“Yeah.” The lie tasted bitter on my tongue. “I’m terrible at picking out jewelry. Abby hated the last piece I got her.”
The collar…not that I could tell my siblings she hated it because it was a locked tracking device.
“Ah, well, we’ve got your back,” Lily quipped, easing the tension with a smile. “Let’s find something she can’t say no to.”