Semua Bab Cage to Cage: Bab 51 - Bab 60

BRYNN POVI wake with my head pounding. Memories from last night flash like shards—tequila, Vex’s anger, the way he sat in that chair like he was chained to me.To my surprise, he’s still there. Vex sits perfectly still in the armchair beside my bed, posture rigid, eyes shadowed with sleeplessness. The morning light catches the dried blood on his cuff, the dark circles beneath his eyes. He hasn’t rested. Not once.A glass of water and two pills wait on the nightstand.He shifts, notices I’m awake, then points to them. “Take those. They’ll help with the headache.”His voice is controlled, measured. Last night’s fury has hardened into something colder.When I sit up, he rises, buttoning his suit jacket like the conversation is already over. His eyes lock with mine, sharp and unblinking.“Now that you’re sober, we need to establish something, Brynn. You may not want me to touch you. You may not want this marriage. But your survival is non-negotiable.”He leaves without waiting for an ans

BRYNN POV I change quickly, Madame Rousseau helping me out of the gown, her hands careful with the fabric. The chosen dress is wrapped and carried away, but the weight of Vex’s gaze still clings to me. He scans the street through a gap in the curtains, body tense. The way he said we need to leave now unsettles me. “Three men. Black SUV across the street,” he mutters. “They’re waiting.” “Who?” He pulls me close, his arm firm around my waist—protective, possessive. “Stay behind me. No matter what happens, you stay behind me. If I tell you to run, you run. Understood?” I nod, heart pounding. Kade’s voice crackles through Vex’s earpiece. “Car’s in position. Back entrance. Thirty seconds.” Vex’s hand presses at the small of my back, guiding me down a side hallway. “Time to go.” We move fast—Vex in front, Ben guarding the rear. I follow their pace, running when Vex says, ducking when he orders. We almost reach the car when an arm snakes around my throat from behind, crushing my win

KADE POV I didn’t follow them into the east wing. Couldn’t. Instead, I went back to my own quarters, pacing like a caged animal. The mansion was silent, but not the kind of silence that brought peace. This was the heavy silence after violence, when the air still smells like blood, and everyone’s waiting for the next move. I should’ve been the one carrying her inside. The one sitting at her side, cleaning her hands, steadying her breathing, reminding her she wasn’t alone. But it wasn’t me. It was him. Always him. Vex had swept her out of that car like she belonged to him, like she hadn’t just killed a man, like she wasn’t shattering inside. And she let him. She clung to him. I saw it. My jaw locked so hard it hurt. She doesn’t understand. He isn’t safety. He’s danger wrapped in silk. He doesn’t comfort—he consumes. He won’t wash away her guilt; he’ll teach her how to bury it, how to let it rot in her chest until she’s just like us. I pressed my palms into the desk, forcing

VEX POV The echo of her footsteps fades down the hall, but her words linger like poison in the air. I don’t move. Neither does Kade. The kitchen feels smaller without her in it, as if the walls are closing in, forcing us closer, forcing us to look at each other. She doesn’t want either of us. The statement slices deeper than I expected. I tell myself it’s a lie, that she’ll never be able to turn from me when it matters. But the way she looked at us—cold, unflinching—it carved something sharp into my chest. Kade breaks first. He runs a hand down his face, jaw tight, eyes heavy with something that isn’t just anger. Hurt. Real hurt. “She’s right,” he mutters, voice low. “If we keep this up, it’s not her we’ll lose. It’s everything.” For once, I don’t argue. The empire we built together—brick by brick, body by body—shudders at the seams. And I know, as much as I despise admitting it, that Brynn saw the truth we’ve been avoiding. I push away from the counter, slow and deliberate, l

BRYNN POV We walk up the grand staircase and step inside. A large group of people is gathered in what can only be described as a ballroom. A blonde in a silver dress, body flawless and posture regal, fixes a glare on me from across the room. Vex notices where my eyes land. “Ex-girlfriend, I presume?” His expression doesn’t change, but his hand tightens almost imperceptibly at my waist. Livia Moretti. Ajax’s sister. His voice dips low, a whisper against my ear. “She’s more dangerous than she looks. Trained by the best hitman in Europe.” Livia’s glare sharpens as she leans to whisper something to the man beside her—Ajax Moretti himself, his cold eyes calculating as he studies us. Vex guides me deeper into the room, nodding to various family heads. The atmosphere shifts as we move through the crowd—conversations pausing, eyes tracking us. Kade follows close behind, silent and watchful, his presence more like a bodyguard than a friend. “The blonde isn’t the problem. It’s the me