All Chapters of WOUNDS OF DECEIT: Chapter 31 - Chapter 34

Elena POVAdrian extended his hand, the smile on his face bordering on arrogant. “Care to steal her for a dance?”I felt Damien’s hesitation ripple through his body like an aftershock. His hand twitched against my waist, as if unsure whether to pull me closer or push me away. Then, slowly—grudgingly—he let go.“Okay,” he said, his voice tight. “Go ahead.”My eyes snapped to him. “What?” I whispered, incredulous. But he was already stepping back, jaw locked, eyes refusing to meet mine.I turned to Adrian, swallowing the sick taste rising in my throat. The man standing before me was the man I once watched destroy everything I loved he was grinning like a wolf with blood on its teeth. He had no idea who I was. My new face, my new name, and the carefully sculpted mask I wore—it had worked.He didn’t recognize the woman he’d helped ruin.I slid my hand into his with a composure I didn’t feel.“For the cameras,” I told myself.The ballroom melted into gold and motion again as we began to da

Damien’s POVThe sound of the door slamming woke me up before the alarm could. I didn’t need to check to know it was her. Elena has a very specific way of making her presence known subtlety was never her style. I stayed in bed for a few more minutes, staring at the ceiling. Peace was a currency in this house, and mornings like this meant I was already bankrupt. Eventually, I got up and made my way down the hall, the cold marble under my feet doing little to ease the tension growing in my spine. I passed by her room, her designated room, and paused. The door was cracked open. The first thing I noticed was the mess. Clothes were strewn across the floor like a storm had passed through. A pair of heels was tossed near the foot of the bed, one overturned. The bed itself was only half-made, pillows scattered, a blanket hanging off one side like it had tried to escape her in the middle of the night. And on the vanity? Lipsticks without caps, jewelry tangled into knots, a half-eaten croi