Page 84 of Maddening Fixation

“I only need him to be with me soon. A few times should be enough.”

Her confidence was chilling.

“He’ll never question the timing. Not when he believes he loves me.”

Her eyes locked onto mine.

“I’m asking you one last time. You aren’t actually going to marry him, are you?”

Slowly, I rose from my chair, clutching the legal documents against my chest.

“If you truly loved Romeo, you wouldn’t allow him to raise another man’s child while believing it was his.”

Her expression hardened.

I shook my head.

“That isn’t love, Yarina. It’s a carefully constructed lie designed to trap a man who trusts you. But I suppose deception has always come easily to you.”

For a heartbeat, she simply stared at me.

Then she laughed.

The sound was humorless. Almost frightening.

Her smile vanished instantly.

“I know Father has already chosen his side.”

Bitterness seeped into every word.

“He wants this marriage. He needs this marriage. And apparently...”

She looked me up and down. “So do you.”

“I never said that.”

“You didn’t have to.”

Her voice became dangerously calm.

“So listen very carefully.” The warning in her tone sent a chill through me. “If you marry Romeo...”

She leaned closer. “...you will regret it.”

Each word was slow.

“I swear on my life, Juliet. I will make certain you never know another peaceful day.”

Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, but there was nothing vulnerable about her anymore.

Only fury.

“I’ll make every moment of your life miserable.”

She smiled again.

This time it was almost beautiful.