Chapter 4

Victor looked at me for a long moment before smiling and stepping closer. Instead of answering, he kissed me.

That was his answer.

I didn't ask again.

I told myself I was being ungrateful. After everything I'd been through, this was already more than I'd ever had. I had a beautiful room, expensive clothes, servants who brought me whatever I needed, and a man who told me he loved me.

I loved him too.

He said I was his.

Wasn't that enough?

The staff hardly spoke to me. Whenever I entered a room, they bowed and quietly walked away. Some gave me polite smiles, but nobody ever tried to talk to me. I pretended it didn't bother me, even though the silence often made the mansion feel more like a prison.

At night, Victor would hold me against his chest, run his fingers through my hair, and stay quiet.

One night, he whispered, “I'll marry you someday, Larisse. When the time is right, I'll make you my wife, and you'll never have to worry about being alone again.”

I believed him.

I believed every word because, for the first time in years, I felt safe beside someone. I thought I'd finally found a home, somewhere I belonged.

When Victor left for US, he kissed my forehead before getting into his car. “Wait for me, Larisse. I'll be back soon.”

“I will,” I promised.

He left.

And I waited.

One day became several, and several became weeks. There were no calls and no messages, but I kept telling myself he was busy and that he would return when he could.

Then one morning, I was carrying the breakfast tray back toward the kitchen when I heard two maids talking near the hallway.

“I heard Don Castilliano's fiancée is studying medicine in US,” one of them whispered.

The other sounded surprised. “His fiancée? What about Larisse? I thought she was the one he was going to marry.”

A quiet laugh followed. “You actually believed that? She's just his bed warmer.”

I stopped walking.

My fingers tightened around the tray as their words sank in. I couldn't move for several seconds.

Bed warmer?

Was that all I was?

I carried the tray back to my room and closed the door behind me before finally breaking down. I cried until my head hurt and my eyes burned, unable to stop thinking about everything Victor had told me.

He'd said he'd marry me.

He'd told me I was safe.

So why did he have another fiancée?

Why had nobody told me?

The next morning, I woke up feeling sick. The smell of food made my stomach turn, and when I stood up, the room spun around me. One of the maids noticed me holding onto the wall and immediately became concerned.

“Miss Larisse, you don't look well. You should see a doctor before it gets worse.”

I didn't argue.

I went alone.

My hands were shaking the entire way. After the examination, the doctor smiled at me and said, “Congratulations. You're four months pregnant. You and the baby appear to be doing well.”

I stared at her.

Pregnant.

I was pregnant with Victor's child.

My heart started beating so fast that I could barely breathe. I pressed the test results against my chest as tears filled my eyes.

“He'll be happy,” I whispered with a smile. “I know he will.”

This could change everything. Victor might finally take me outside and introduce me to the world. He might even make me his wife just as he'd promised.

I thanked the doctor and hurried back to the mansion, holding the report carefully in my hands.

But the moment I stepped inside, I heard a familiar voice.

Victor.

He was home.

My heart jumped. I forgot about everything else and ran toward the living room, smiling before I even reached the door.

“Victor, you're back!”

Then I heard a woman's laugh.

I stopped.

I knew that laugh.

No. It couldn't be...

I pushed the door open, and my entire body went cold. Cassandra was sitting on Victor's lap. Her arms were around his neck, and she was kissing him while his hands rested on her waist.

The pregnancy report nearly slipped from my fingers.

They both looked toward me.

Victor's face showed nothing. No surprise. No guilt. Nothing. He looked at me as if I were a stranger who had simply walked into the wrong room.

Cassandra blinked before putting on a surprised expression. “Larisse? What are you doing here?”

I stared at her, unable to understand what I was seeing. “Why are you here, Cassandra? You told me you were studying medicine in US.”

She gave a small laugh as she slowly stood up and smoothed her dress. “You're really asking me that? After living in this mansion for so long, you still don't understand who I am to Victor?”

Then she lifted her left hand.

A huge diamond ring caught the light.

My eyes stayed on it.

Cassandra stepped closer and held it right in front of my face, her smile widening as she watched the realization spread across my expression.

“I'm Victor Castilliano's fiancée,” she said softly. “Did you really think you were the woman he was going to marry?”

My whole body went cold.

The room seemed to spin around me, and for a second, I couldn't even breathe.

No. This couldn't be real.

I turned to Victor, my lips trembling. “T-tell me she's lying. Please, Victor. Just tell me she made it all up.”

He didn't answer.

He didn't even look at me.

He stood there with his jaw tight, his face cold and unreadable. His silence hurt more than any words could've.

Cassandra stepped closer, her expensive perfume filling the room. She looked at me with disgust before turning to Victor.

“Babe, why is that Murray slave here?” she asked sweetly, as if I wasn't standing right in front of her. “Did you forget what I told you? She's the reason my mom and dad are dead. Jacob and Noah hate her for killing them, and they kept her locked up for years because of what she did.”

She grabbed Victor's arm and leaned against him.

“And now you've brought her into our home? You're hurting me, Victor. I trusted you, and you're letting the woman who destroyed my family stay here.”

My throat tightened.

I wanted to scream that she was lying.

I wanted to tell him everything.

But I was so used to being blamed, beaten, and silenced that the words got stuck in my throat.

Victor finally sighed.

His voice was cold when he spoke.

“Cassandra, listen to me. I didn't bring Larisse here because I love her. She's only here to warm my bed. That's all she is to me.”

I stared at him.

“Bed... warmer?”

My knees nearly gave out.