CHAPTER 32: FEMALE VERSION OF THE DEVIL

Catherine’s POV

Gabriel drove like the steering wheel had personally offended him. "Fuck this, I swear, Sasha has done enough. I hate how the school keeps covering her," he muttered, slamming his palm against the wheel. "What kind of psycho beats people for fun? And her little minions? Seriously? What is wrong with people?"

I stared out the window, watching the trees blur past, barely hearing him. My mind kept circling back to Tessa, remembering the look in her eyes when Sasha told her to hit me. The tremor in her hands and the apology she couldn’t say out loud.

Tessa clearly wasn’t like them. What could Sasha possibly have on her that she’d rather stay chained to that group than walk away?

Gabriel kept ranting, his voice buried in anger, but I could only hum in response. I still felt a lot of pain from the beatings, so every bump on the road sent a sting up my ribs and my face throbbed like it had its own pulse.

When we finally pulled into the driveway, I sighed in relief. My body felt like it was falling apart, and all I wanted was to curl up in bed and pretend today had never happened.

Before I could even open the door, Gabriel was already at my side, helping me out. His hand brushed mine gently, as if I might break if he wasn’t careful.

"Take it slow," he said quietly, his earlier anger replaced by concern.

We stepped inside, and the moment the door shut behind us, I heard voices and turned to see Julian on the couch with a girl, red-haired, too cheerful for this house.

She was holding his hand while giggling about something he said. Her nails were painted the same shade as her hair, and her laugh irritated me for no particular reason.

Maybe because Julian looked too relaxed with her. He always smiled with other girls but with me, it was mostly always different.

He looked at us immediately he noticed our presence and the second his eyes met mine, his whole posture changed. He straightened immediately, eyes narrowing as he took in the bruises, the torn edge of my sleeve and the blood near my lip.

He was on his feet in seconds. "What the hell happened?" he demanded, his tone dark, sharp, I almost thought I had him panic.

Gabriel opened his mouth, "It was—"

"I fell," I cut in quickly, my voice shaky but firm enough to stop him.

Julian’s gaze flicked between us, suspicion written all over his face. "Fell from?"

"Yeah," I said, forcing a small laugh that didn’t sound like me at all. "Tried out for the school’s softball team. You know how clumsy I am. Got hit in the face with the damn ball."

Gabriel frowned. "Catherine—"

I nudged him with my elbow, whispering, "Don’t."

Julian didn’t look convinced. His cold eyes turned to his brother. "Is she telling the truth?"

Gabriel’s jaw flexed like he wanted to argue, but I shot him a warning look. After a few seconds of silent communication, he sighed and muttered, "Yeah. I wasn’t there but that’s what she said."

I could feel Julian’s stare drilling into me, like he could see through the lie if he looked long enough. My toes curled, but I kept my expression steady.

"I’m fine," I said, my tone clipped. "You can go back to making out with your girl or whatever."

His brows lifted. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," I said, crossing my arms even though it hurt to do it. "You looked pretty occupied before we came in. Don’t let me ruin your fun."

His lips twitched, not in a smile, more like the beginning of one. "Occupied," he repeated under his breath, clearly amused. "Right."

I hated the way my stomach knotted when he looked at me like he could read every unspoken thought.

The redhead, who’d been silently observing, suddenly jumped in, stepping closer with a dazzling smile. "Julian," she called, getting closer to him. Are they your siblings?"

Julian ran a hand through his hair, a small, deliberate smirk forming. "Yeah. My brother Gabriel," he said casually, then added, "and my stepsister, Catherine." He dragged out the word like he wanted it carved in stone.

I clenched my jaw so tight I thought I might crack a tooth.

The girl extended her hand toward me after greeting Gabriel, her nails gleaming in the light. "Nice to meet you, Catherine. I’m Lucy," she said sweetly.

I forced a smile that probably looked like pain. "Cute name," I replied, not taking her hand. "Like the female version of Lucifer."

Her smile faltered for half a second before she laughed it off. "Funny."

"That wasn’t the plan," I muttered.

Gabriel tried to diffuse the tension, smiling politely. "Don’t mind her, Lucy. She gets really icy at times. By the way, I like your hair. Reminds me of that character from that superhero movie—uh, Jean Grey?"

Her face lit up. "Oh my god, yes! I love her too."

Of course she did.

I rolled my eyes, biting back a groan as they kept talking. Gabriel and Lucy were suddenly having a full conversation about movies while Julian stood there, half smirking, half glaring at me.

Something twisted in my chest. It wasn’t jealousy. It couldn’t be. I didn’t even like him but watching that girl laugh with both my stepbrothers made something unpleasant churn inside me.

"Gabriel," I said sharply, cutting them off mid-sentence. "Are you planning to leave me to walk by myself to my room? Very kind and pleasant of you."

I sarcastically dropped and his brows furrowed, but he nodded quickly, turning his body to me. Lucy opened her mouth to say something, but I didn’t give her the chance.

"It was nice meeting you," I said flatly before turning away.

Julian’s eyes followed us as Gabriel helped me toward the stairs. I could feel his stare all the way up my spine, like heat pressing against my skin.

When we reached my room, Gabriel shut the door behind us and folded his arms. "You wanna tell me why you lied and why you acted hostile towards Lucy?"

I sank onto the edge of my bed, letting out a long, tired sigh. "Because Julian is... Julian," I said finally. "He’s violent. If he found out what really happened, he’d go storming into the school, probably start something, and that would just make things worse."

Gabriel frowned. "Worse how?"

"Sasha already hates me," I said, my voice breaking slightly. "And not because I did anything to her—but because of him. You think she’d let it slide if she thought I made him mad at her? She’d come for me harder."

He didn’t respond right away. He just sat beside me, silently, his expression softening. "You shouldn’t have to cover for people who hurt you, Catherine."

I looked down at my hands, bruised knuckles and all. "I’m not covering for them. I’m protecting myself. That’s different."

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Still feels wrong."

"Welcome to my life," I said quietly. "About Lucy, I didn’t think I was being hostile."

He shook his head in a way to say "alright" and for a while, neither of us spoke.

When he finally stood to leave, I looked up at him. "Hey, Gabriel?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks... for helping me."

He smiled.