Chapter 8
“That’s him?” My voice came out smaller than intended.
“The most feared man in the country. Until the Rivers took everything from him. Including you.”
I stepped closer to the portrait, drawn to those familiar eyes. “He has my eyes.”
“Your mother’s too, before-” Vincent cut himself off.
“Before what? Before you killed her?” The words tasted like acid.
“Yes.” Vincent’s voice carried no hesitation. “Before I killed them.”
The room spun. I gripped the edge of the portrait frame to steady myself.
“Your grandfather gave them everything they wanted. Half his territory, connections, protection.” Vincent’s hand left my wrist. “All to keep you safe, to give
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you a chance at knowing your real family.”
I traced the stern lines of my grandfather’s face. “What happened?”
“The Rivers took his offering and stabbed him in the back. Changed your name, moved you across state lines, buried every trace of your existence.” Vincent’s jaw clenched. “By the time we found you, the cancer had spread through his lungs.”
My fingers dropped from the portrait.
“He fought it.” Vincent’s voice softened. “Fought death itself trying to hold on long enough to see you. His last words-” He paused, something raw flickering across his face. “He made me swear to bring you back. To protect you. Keep you safe until my last breath.”
“And marrying me accomplishes that how?”
“Because a wife,” Vincent stepped closer, “is untouchable in our world. No one would dare harm you as long as you’re mine.”
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“You mean as long as I’m your property.”
“No.” His hand cupped my chin, forcing me. to meet his gaze. “As long as you’re under my protection. The choice is yours, Cheryl. But know this – I made a promise to a dying man. Whether you accept me or not, I will keep that promise.”
The weight of generations of secrets pressed down on me. My whole life had been built on lies, carefully constructed by the family I thought had saved me. But they’d been my jailers all along.
“He loved you.” Vincent’s thumb brushed my cheek. “More than his empire, more than his life. Everything he did was to give you back your birthright.”
My hands trembled as Vincent’s words. sank in. The Rivers family – the people I’d bowed and scraped to for years, the ones I’d thought rescued me from a life of poverty – they’d stolen everything from me. My real family. My inheritance. My identity.
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“They knew?” My voice cracked. “All this time, they knew who I was?”
“Your adoption wasn’t charity, Cheryl. It was calculated. They wanted Dominic Swanson’s fortune, and you were their
ticket.”
“Those manipulative bastards.” I paced the shed, memories flooding back with cruel. clarity. “The way they’d parade me at parties like some rescued stray. How Thomas’s mother would remind me daily of their ‘generosity‘ in taking me in.”
My chest heaved as years of suppressed anger burst free. “They made me feel worthless, Vincent. Made me think I should be grateful for a loveless marriage, for being treated like dirt.” I whirled to face him: “And all along, they were the ones. who took everything from me.”
“Your grandfather searched for you until his last breath.” Vincent’s voice was soft, but his eyes blazed with shared fury. “The Rivers covered their tracks well.”
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Chapter 8
I sank onto the edge of the bed, my legs unable to hold me. “Tell me about him. Please. What was he like?”
“He was a force of nature. Tough as nails in business, but he’d have moved heaven and earth for you. When you disappeared…” Vincent’s jaw clenched. “It broke him.”
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