bChapter 185 /b

    bVessa’s /bbPOV /b

    b“/bbYou /bthink I left Cael? Hell no!” Vessa’s voice cut through the air, sharp and bitter. “That bastard dumped me.”

    She paused for a second, her gaze softening just slightly. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that: I know he’s your brother… didn’t mean to offend you.”

    ra just blinked, shaking her head. “No offense take

    s a jerk, and you’ve got every right to say it

    But the words didn’t sit right with ra. She was trying to piece together the events. Cael had said everything had dinner the night before, kissed each other goodnight. So why was Vessa so furious?

    ra didn’t hold back. “How exactly did he dump you?”

    asked, her voice calm but intrigued.

    was

    fine between them–hell, they’d even

    Vessa flopped down onto the mattress like she couldn’t hold herself up any longer. Her frustration was written all over her face. “We were having dinner, right? Out of nowhere, he says he’s not happy with where we’re at and wants to end it. And I get it–we were never exclusiveb. /bI know he’s a yboy. But the way he said it…” She shook her head. “It was like he was the damn boss, telling me what he’d decided. No care for what I thought. Ugh, what a prick!”

    Her fist came down hard on the mattress. “I should’ve punched him right there.”

    ra, who had been standing at the foot of the bed, walked over and sat down beside her. “I think you the face. Make it a good one–knock out some teeth, break his nose.”

    should,” she said, almost smiling. “Punch him in

    Vessa stared at her for a moment, wide–eyed. “Wait a second,” she said slowly. “You’re talking about your brother here, right?”

    “Exactly,” ra replied, unfazed. “But so what? I hate those kind of guys, too. One minute, they’re telling you you’re ‘the one,‘ and the next? They turn their backs without a second thought. It’s disgusting.”

    Thorne, who had been standing quietly in the corner, shifted ufortably. He could feel the tension building around him and could tell the conversation was starting to include him.

    7

    “I know!” Vessa shouted, her face lighting up with agreement. “If you didn’t mean those words, then why the hell say them in the first ce? Men- always full of bullshit.”

    “Which is why I think you should go back and give him a piece of your mind,” ra said, nodding firmly. “Why should you be the one to walk away? Go back there, barge in, and give him a p. Trust me, it’ll feel good.”/

    Vessa hesitated. “Wait a second. You’re not trying to get me back together with himb, /bare you?”

    ra’s expression turned serious. “No. Of course not. I’ll even iwall /i

    you out after you vent your anger. But you have to do it, Vessa. It’s for you, not him.”

    Vessa took a breath, as if considering everything, and then let out a frustrated groan. “You’re right. I should do it. Screw him. He’s the jerk, not me.”

    She suddenly pulled ra into a tight hug. “I’m so d you’re back. I’ve had no one to talk to. I should’ve been at the front gate, weing you, but instead, I’ve been stuck dealing with that idiot.”

    “Don’t worry about it,” ra said, patting her shoulder. “After you deal with this, we can have our own little celebration.”

    They both stood up, ready to leave. But just as they reached the door. Thorne grabbed ra’s arm. She turned to face him, her expression a little more guarded now.

    “The ‘Judas‘ men…” Thorne murmured, his voice low, “Were you talking about me specifically?”

    ra snorted, but there was no humor in it/“What do you think?”

    He swallowed, his voice tight. “I think you were.b” /b

    bChapter /bb185 /b

    bra /bbraised /bban /beyebrow, meeting his beyes/b. “And if I was? What are byou /bgoing to do about it? Apologize? bTry /bto bexin/bb? /bYou bthink /bsweet bword/b, die goin bfix /bbthis/b? We’ve passed that point, Thome.”

    Thorne leaned in closer, his breath hot against the back of her neck. “How about this?” he said, his voice rough. “You told Vessa to hit Cael. bYou /bbcould /bdo the same to me. I won’t dodge; not a single punch. You can go as hard as you want. I’ll take it.”

    ra’s skin prickled at the proximity. Her heart hammered in her chest. But she shut down the reaction before it could overwhelm her. She didn’t need

    this.

    “No,” she said, her tone cold, “What you did to me nearly destroyed me. So no, a few punches won’t fix a damn thing.”

    She shoved him away, her pulse quickening as she marched out of the apartment, taking long, determined strides.

    By the time they returned to the packhouse, the evening was settling into dusk.

    Cael was in the dining hall, supervising the staff who were setting up for the night’s dinner. His face was pale, eyes bloodshot, the aftermath of ba /bheavy hangover still hanging over him.

    But when he saw Vessa walk into the room with ra and Thorne, his face went white. He rushed forward, his voice a mix of confusion and frustration. “Vessa! Where the hell have you–”

    SLAP!

    The sharp sound of skin meeting skin rang out, freezing everyone in the room.

    Vessa’s hand was still raised, her face flushed with fury. The p hadnded with a resounding impact, leaving Cael momentarily speechless, his cheek already turning red.

    “You bastard!” Vessa’s voice was a low growl, her fists clenched. “You think you can just walk away from me like that? You really believe you can do better? You’re wrong, Cael! Nobody–nobody–wants a dickhead like you.”

    Cael’s jaw tightened. “Wait a second-”

    “Fuck you!” Vessa interrupted, her voice louder now, the anger boiling over. “iYou /iwant to screw around? Go ahead. But at least wear a condom next

    time!”

    The words hung in the air like a weight, and the tension in the room grew thick.

    “Vessa, please,” Cael began again, his voice desperate, “Can we just talk about this? I didn’t mean-”

    “No,” she cut him off, shaking her head in disgust. “I’m done. You’re full of lies and bullshit. Tell your sweet words to someone else. Not me. I’m over it.”

    Before anyone could react, Vessa threw a punch at him. He didn’t move. He didn’t try to block it. The punchnded, sending him crashing to the floor.

    With that, she turned, heading toward the door.

    But Thorne was quick. He stepped in her path, blocking her way.

    “ra said I’m free to go whenever I want,” Vessa snapped, her eyes narrowing.

    “And I won’t stop you,” Thorne said tly. “But I think Cael deserves to know about what you’ve been hiding.”

    Panic flickered in Vessa’s eyes. Cael had struggled to his feet, clearly still dazed, and now his voice was hoarseb, /bconfusion written across his bfeatures/b. “What are you talking about? What have I been missing?”

    Thorne didn’t hesitate. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small prescription bottle, handing it bto /bCael.

    “I found this under her bed,” he said calmly.

    b2/3 /b

    Sat 10 bAug /b

    Cael took the bottle, and his eyes went wide when he saw thebel. He swallowed hard, his voice barely a whisper. “You… biyou’re /i/bbpregnant/bbi? /i/b

    And just like that, everything changed.