Page 265 of The Devil's Thorn

I reached for it slowly. The moment I flipped it open, I knew. Cormac. His name printed at the top. Rafael’s. Below it.

And then— My eyes froze. The signature. Cormac’s handwriting. Signed and dated. A marriage contract. Arranged. Formal. Legal.

I couldn’t breathe. The air left my lungs in one sharp exhale, and I staggered back a step.

This is why he disappeared.

Not the voices. Not the USB. Not the truth. Her.

Someother girl, promised to him like a business deal. Signed. Sealed.

I didn’t care if he hadn’t signed it yet. It wasthere. Right in front of me. Waiting for ink. Waiting for her.

I stared at the page like it might rewrite itself, like maybe I’d misread the names, the terms,everything. But no. There it was. Cold. Binding. And everything I wasn’t.

I stood there, heart cracking so loud I could almost hear it, and then my fingers clenched the edges of the paper.

I tore it. Straight through the center. Again. And again. Until it was just pieces scattered across the floor like the glass had been.

I didn’t even realize I was crying until I tasted salt. But I didn’t let it break me. I turned on my heel, stalked out of the office, and moved through the house like a ghost with fire in her chest.

Room after room, untouched. Cold. Beautiful. A palace full of secrets. And then I reached the garage. Rows of cars, parked like soldiers. Sleek. Powerful. Expensive. I walked toward the set of keys hanging by the door and took the first one my handtouched. It didn’t matter which. Because I knewallof them were tracked.

He was always watching. Always in control. Well now, so was I. Let’s see how he liked beingdraggedinto something for once.

I climbed into the driver’s seat, breath shallow, fingers white-knuckling the steering wheel as I shoved the key into the ignition. The engine roared to life, echoing off the walls of his garage.

The garage door started lifting as I clicked the remote, the slow, mechanical groan like nails against my skin. The second it was high enough, I slammed my foot on the gas.

The tires screeched. The car surged forward. But just as I crossed the threshold— Yuri.

He appeared right in front of me. Like a shadow pulled from nowhere.

My heart jerked, my breath catching violently as I slammed the brakes so hard my body jolted forward, seatbelt catching just in time.

The tires screamed. The hood dipped an inch from him.

“Are you fucking kidding me?!”

I yanked the gear into park and rolled down the window so fast I nearly shattered the damn switch.

“Get out of the way!”

He didn’t. He didn’t even blink. He stepped closer, hands slightly out, face tense with something between confusion and disbelief.

“What the hell are you doing, Isabella?”

His voice was rough. Controlled. But not angry. Worse—concerned.

“What I should’ve done the second I got back from Italy,” I snapped. “I know. Okay? Iknow everything.”

His brow furrowed. “Knowwhat?”

“That you’re behind my family’s death,” I hissed, voice cracking around the edges. “Thatheis. That it was all of you. And now he’s just conveniently disappearing while he signs contracts to marry someone else.”

His expression froze. “What the fuck are you talking about? Rafael isn’t—he’s notengaged, Isabella.”

I laughed. A sharp, bitter sound that didn’t feel like it belonged to me. “Don’t lie to me.”