Page 27 of Sinful Obsession

I shoved open the door.

Cassian stood by the window, running a razor down his jaw with unbothered precision, as if the world wasn’t tilting under my feet.

“Were we married?” I blurted.

He paused mid-stroke, his blue eyes flicking to me with a condescending glint. “Don’t insult me with questions you already know the answer to.”

I stepped closer, undeterred, my hands shaking but my resolve ironclad. “Listen, I lost part of my memories. I don’t know if there’s a medical term for it, but I can’t remember anything from when Grandfather died in early 2024 to December 2027, when I applied to the House of Devils.” My voice cracked, the weight of those blank years spilling out.

“And I’m supposed to believe that?”

“I don’t care what you believe.” My voice cracked. “I need answers, Cassian. I need someone to fill this... this void in my head, and you seem to know more than I do.”

He turned back to the window like I wasn’t worth the effort. That only made me angrier.

“You said I’m the reason some girl named Elodie is dead. You said I betrayed you. But I don’t even remember doing it! You’reaccusing a version of me I can’t access, and I’m the one left to pay for it.”

His voice was calm. Colder than before. “You don’t get to escape consequences just because you forgot them.”

He turned now, slowly walking across the room like a man with time on his side. Like a man who knew he was feared.

“Do murderers get to plead innocent just because they blacked out when the knife slipped? Memory or not—you still did it.”

I took a breath, steadier this time. “You had no right to pull me from the House of Devils.”

He gave a humorless laugh. “You think you can escape your crimes by throwing yourself into a death match? You’ll pay your debt before you die, Charlotte.”

My fists clenched. “And how do you plan to do that? Huh? Now that I’m here—what’s your grand punishment?”

“There are more than a thousand ways to make you pay,” he said smoothly, pausing in front of me. His presence pressed in. “And I don’t need to rush a single one.”

I didn’t back away.

I wanted to.

My entire body was screaming run, but I held my ground, spine straight, even as he towered over me. Because fear would only feed him. And whatever we were... had been, I wasn’t that girl anymore.

Even if I didn’t remember who she was.

Chapter 4

CHARLOTTE

I stood tall, chin lifted, even as my knees threatened to buckle under his stare. Maybe I didn’t stand a chance. Maybe he’d snap my neck right now, and I’d die not knowing what I’d done to deserve it.

But death isn’t what he wants. Not yet. Not for me.

His phone buzzed. He pulled it from his pocket, his eyes never leaving mine. The cold, dead blue of them felt like drowning.

“Yes?” he answered.

“Are you still coming?” A woman’s voice crackled through.

“We are,” he said, his voice clipped, ending the call with a flick of his thumb.

He pocketed the phone, his gaze unrelenting. “Bath and get dressed. We have somewhere to be in an hour.”

“We?” I echoed, stepping away from his suffocating heat, his presence doing strange, unwanted things to my traitorous body. “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what I need to know. What happened in the last three years? Or at least give me a guarantee that you’ll explain—”