Chapter 4 - You Chose My Stepsister, I Chose Evidence
Cassie’s eyes moved to her.
“To the person who told me to start recording.”
Tony’s expression changed again.
This time, deeper.
He knew.
“Mara,” he said.
Cassie nodded once.
The name landed like a third person entering the room.
Mara Ellison was not just a divorce attorney.
She was the daughter of the judge Tony had once tried to impress at a charity gala.
She was known for smiling politely while dismantling powerful men with calendars, bank records, and recordings they never expected women to keep.
Tony stepped back.
“You went to a lawyer?”
Cassie’s voice was quiet.
“You chose my stepsister in front of me. I chose evidence.”
Meera’s mouth twisted.
“Oh, please. You’re acting like a victim because your husband got tired of you.”
Cassie looked at her for a long time.
The woman in the closet doorway was not a stranger.
That was what made the betrayal rot deeper.
Meera had grown up in the same house after Cassie’s father remarried.
Cassie had shared clothes with her.
Helped her apply for internships.
Covered for her when she stole money from their mother’s purse.
Held her hair back when she drank too much at twenty-two and cried that nobody loved her.
Cassie had called her sister before Meera ever earned the word.
Now Meera stood in Cassie’s bedroom, wearing Cassie’s necklace, holding champagne, and calling pain a performance.
Cassie’s voice became colder.
“Did you enjoy watching him hurt me?”
Meera rolled her eyes.
“He barely touched you.”
Cassie turned the phone slightly.
“You already said enough.”
Meera froze.
Because she had.
You should’ve kept quiet, sister.
After tonight, everyone will think you lost your mind.
She had played the part of witness without realizing the witness was herself.
Tony moved toward the door.
Cassie spoke before he touched the lock.
“If you open that door and tell them I’m unstable, Mara releases the clip to the police and your board tonight.”
Tony stopped.
His shoulders rose and fell.
His company.
That was where fear lived for him.
Not in love.
Not marriage.
Not the child they once talked about having.
Not the woman bruised on the bed.
His board.
His investors.
His public image.
Cassie had spent six years thinking if she loved him better, she could reach the man behind the ambition.
Now she understood there had never been a man behind it.
Only appetite in a tailored vest.
Tony turned slowly.
“What do you want?”
The question almost made her sick.
Not Are you okay?
Not I’m sorry.
What do you want?
A negotiation over damage he caused.
May you like
Cassie pushed herself higher against the bed, pain flashing through her shoulder.
“I want you out of this room.”
