Free Web NovelChapter 26: Chapter 26
Riley’s POV
I do not even know what I am supposed to feel right now.
Frustrated is not enough. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
Tired does not cover it.
Scared feels too small for what is sitting in my chest.
Everything that has happened since I was dragged into this place feels unreal, like I stepped into someone else’s nightmare and forgot how to wake up. My head hurts from thinking too much, my body feels heavy, and my heart will not stop racing.
Just then, Caden turns to me."Come with us," he says calmly.
There is no question in his voice. It is not a request.
They turn and start walking away
I stay still for half a second, watching their backs, my hands clenched at my sides. I look around the hall again, at the unfamiliar faces, the strange eyes, the people who do not feel human even when they look like it.
I swallow hard. I have no choice.
In a place full of people and creatures I do not understand, they are the only ones I can give even the smallest amount of trust to.
I follow them.
We walk into a completely different space, and I cannot stop myself from staring.
This part of the place is... grand.
Everything looks expensive, old, and carefully maintained. The floors are polished, the walls are decorated with dark designs, and the servants and maids who pass us look composed, elegant, and distant. They bow slightly as we pass, their eyes never lingering on me for too long.
It makes me uncomfortable.
We climb a few stairs, and my legs already feel weak by the time we stop in front of a large door.
Cane pushes it open without hesitation and walks in. Gunnar and Caden follow.
I step inside last.
The room is large and quiet, lit by dim chandeliers that cast soft shadows across the walls. The furniture looks ancient but well cared for. I walk closer to the windows without meaning to and freeze.
Outside, there is a massive garden stretching far into the distance.
Beyond it, I see a sea.
Wide. Dark. Endless.
For a moment, I forget where I am.
Interesting, I think...
"Sit."
Cane’s voice snaps me back to reality.
I turn and see him pulling out a chair for me.
My throat tightens.
I hesitate, then walk toward it and sit down slowly, my back stiff, my hands resting awkwardly in my lap. Cane sits across from me while Gunnar leans against the table and Caden stands near the window.
Cane reaches into his jacket and pulls out a folder.
He slides it across the table toward me.
"Riley," he says softly, and that alone makes my chest tighten, "what do you say to this?"
I look at the folder. I do not need to open it to know what it is.
"I refuse," I say immediately. "I will not divorce Ethan under thirty days. I will not do that."
Cane furrows his brows, then lets out a short laugh.
"Even after all Ethan has done to you," he says, "you still want to be married to that bastard?"
I lift my head and meet his gaze.
"Yes," I say firmly. "It’s not his fault I lost my baby. I might hate him, but not to that extent."
The room goes quiet. Caden lets out a slow breath.
"You’re interesting and pathetic all at once, Riley," he says.
My jaw tightens.
"He cheated on you," Caden continues. "Repeatedly."
"And are you guys any better?" I shoot back. "Come on, let’s not pretend. The CCG brothers are already famous enough in Crescent Hollow. You change women like clothes."
Gunnar lets out a sharp laugh.
"That’s rich," he says. "Coming from someone defending a man who sold her out."
"You do not get to judge me," I snap. "None of you do."
Cane leans forward slightly. "You’re clinging to a marriage that has already been destroyed."
"I am clinging to my life," I reply. "The one I built before all of you barged into it."
"You call that a life?" Gunnar asks coldly. "Living with a man who treated you like property?"
"At least he was my husband," I say. "What are you to me?"
Silence. Caden straightens. "We are your mates."
I laugh, sharp and humorless. "That word means nothing to me."
"It will," Gunnar says quietly.
"You kidnapped me," I say. "You threatened my freedom. You insulted my marriage. And now you expect me to trust you?"
"We expect you to survive for us," Cane replies. "And you won’t if you keep defending Ethan."
I shake my head. "You don’t understand."
"Then explain," Caden says.
I grip the edge of the table. "Ethan may be cruel, selfish but he is the devil I know. You three are strangers are the angels I don’t know who think they own me."
Gunnar steps closer. "We do not think."
"I am not some stock to be bought don’t you understand?," I say loudly. "I am not a bargaining chip, we just had a one night thing, it was just a moment of weakness."
Cane exhales. "You make everything difficult for yourself Riley"
For a moment, none of us speak then Cane suddenly stiffens.
His head tilts slightly, his nostrils flare and his expression changes completely.
He turns to his brothers, his voice low and sharp.
"Ethan is already here."
