Page 98 of The Colour of Revenge

And then—like pieces snapping into place—it all comes crashing down.

Carina

Nate’s expression falters for only a moment, but I can see the wheels turning behind his eyes. The devastation he’s putting on is almost convincing—almost. The disbelief in his gaze isn’t the kind I expected, and it shakes me for a brief second.

But I can’t let it fool me.

No. He’s a master at manipulation. This is all part of his game.

He looks at me as if waiting for me to break, but I don’t. His eyes flicker to Edward, who remains eerily calm, sitting back with a relaxed posture, like he’s watching the show unfold before him.

“You hurt her?” Nate’s voice comes out like a growl, dark and dangerous, and I can almost feel the fury radiating off him.

Edward’s tone shifts slightly, almost amused, as he tries to placate him. “Nathaniel…”

But Nate doesn’t let up. His eyes never leave Edward’s face. “Youboughther?” His words cut through the air with the sharpness of a blade, and there’s nothing but venom in his voice now.

Edward’s eyes flicker, but he stays composed, offering no explanation. The tension is thick enough to choke on.

Nate stares at him for a moment longer, desperation clawing at his insides as if trying to figure out if I’m lying, if I’m manipulating him somehow—but there’s no crack in my facade. No sign of deceit.

Edward finally meets Nate’s gaze, his calmness unnerving. “Nathaniel, you have to understand—”

“Understand?” Nate’s voice rises, incredulous, as the rage builds. “Understand?” he repeats the word, louder again. His words are laced with an unrelenting fury.

"How could you do this?" he whispers, "after what happened to Mel?"

I see it—just a flicker, a crack in Edward’s stoic mask. Nate’s eyes gloss over, and the tears threatening to spill are a clear sign of how deeply this cuts him. But his fury hardens the longer he sits there, and I see the truth in his eyes before he speaks again.

“It was you,” Nate breathes, his voice coming out like a desperate whisper. “You sold her. She was never kidnapped.”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut, and for a split second, I wonder if he’s actually telling the truth.

Could he really be this naive?

Could he truly have no idea what his father is capable of?

I glance at Edward, who doesn’t flinch, doesn’t even seem to care that his son’s world is shattering.

No regret. No shame.

Nothing.

“When you say you want me to take over the family business,” Nate spits, “is that what you really mean? The buying girls business?”

It’s a voice that makes me shudder, the calm of a killer, but the words still manage to make my heart beat faster. I know that tone. And I know what it means.

“No, Nate,” Edward sneers, his words dripping with condescension, “that’s not business.” His gaze roams over my body with barely contained lust. It makes my skin crawl.

Nate loses it.

A low growl rips from his throat, raw and violent, his arms straining against his restraints like he's seconds from tearing the entire room apart.

Edward chuckles.

“Princess.” Nate’s voice softens as he turns back to me, his face pleading, the desperate vulnerability in his eyes raw. “Please. I swear I didn’t know.”

I want to believe him. Part of me does. But the other part—the one that knows how deep this runs—can’t let him off the hook.