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The assistant practically stumbled into the room, her face pale, her breath coming in short, panicked bursts.
“We found her,” she blurted out.
I shot up from the couch, my heart slamming against my ribs. “Where?!” The demand tore from my throat b even registered saying it.
She hesitated.
I narrowed my eyes, my patience hanging by a thread. “Where is she?”
noton estate.
Her voice wavered. “She.. she left for Langston Hill at dawn. To the Kensington
My entire body went rigid.
Arranged marriage.
The words crashed into me like a wrecking ball, knocking the air from my lungs.
I stared at her, waiting for the punchline. Waiting for her to say she misspoke. That there wa
was a
Dont Love You Like (Did Yesterday
misunderstanding.
But she didn’t
Even worse–my mother knew.
The realization set my blood on fire. I bolted for the door, my movements fueled by pure disbelief.
Sloane rushed over at the commotion, stepping in my path. “Cassian, what’s going on?”
I shoved past her without answering, my mind a whirlwind of chaos. I tore down the stairs, heading straight for the servants‘ quarters–straight to her room.
This had to be a mistake.
Livia wouldn’t leave me.
She had been glued to my side since we were kids, never once daring to defy me. She loved me too much to even think about marrying someone else–let alone someone from the Kensington Family.
But when I pushed open the door, the walls were bare.
The pictures of me and my grandmother that had always hung there? Gone.
The bed was neatly made, no trace of her lingering scent.
And there–hanging on the closet door–was the dress I had custom–made for her just yesterday.
My stomach twisted violently.
Every gift I had ever given her–vanished. As if she had never lived here at all.
A wave of panic crashed over me, suffocating.
Just last night, she had curled up in my arms on this very bed, her cheeks flushed as she dreamed about our
wedding.
And now-
She was gone.
I had thought she might be hiding somewhere, too heartbroken to face my engagement to Sloane
Or maybe she was angry, avoiding the whole event out of jealousy.
But to think she had gone behind my back and agreed to marry into the Kensington Family–my sworn enemy?
Bitter fury clawed its way up my throat, drowning out every rational thought.
I tore through the room, knocking over furniture, smashing everything in sight. The bed we had once tangled in-
overturned
Then–amidst the wreckage–I saw it.
A box.
Tucked away beneath the bed. With shaking hands, I dragged it out and flipped it open. Inside was everything!
had ever given her.
The books. The jewelry. The letters. Every single thing I had ever placed in her hands–tucked away as if she were returning them.
And sitting on top of it all-
A letter.
Just a single sheet of paper.
I picked it up, my breath catching in my throat.
The words were short. Cold. Final
‘Our debts are settled. Let’s never see each other again.”
I stared at the note, my pulse roaring in my ears. Livia, you’ve really got guts
Who was it?
Which bastard from the Kensington Family thought he had the right to take her from me?
Ꭷ
I Don’t Love You Did Yesterday
I stumbled out of the servants‘ quarters, desperate to find my mother and get some answers.
But when I stepped into the garden-
A sea of white roses.
Not a single trace of the crimson bougainvillea she loved.
A sharp pain twisted in my chest
Rage flared.
“Rip them out.” My voice came out sharp, lethal. “All of them. Replace them, Bring back the bougainvillea ”
The staff hesitated, exchanging nervous glances
No one mov
Fury ignited in me and before I could stop myself, I was ripping down the decorations with my bare hands. Vases shattered. Flowers were crushed beneath my heels.
Sloane appeared, her eyes rimmed with red, grabbing my arm.
“What the hell are you doing? We’re about to get engaged!” she cried.
I barely looked at her. A wave of disgust curled in my gut. I yanked my arm free.
Screw the engagement. I had to find Livia.
As I turned to my heel–my mother stood before me, her expression unreadable, but her eyes.
Her eyes were filled with disappointment.
“Have you had enough?” she demanded icily “Get a grip of yourself.”
She reminded me that the guests were already here–that I needed to act accordingly.
I saw red
“I don’t care about the guests!” I roared. “Liv is gone! I have to find her-
Smack!
This one hurt more. Not physically. It was the weight of it
The finality. Her voice dropped lower, colder.
“Don’t forget, Cassian.” Silence stretched between us. “This time, I gave you a choice
And she was right. I had been given a choice. And I had chosen wrong.
