A Principessa's Funeral Pyre

"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have come. I shouldn't have disturbed you two…"

As she spoke, perfectly timed tears welled in her eyes. "I'll leave. I'll leave right now."

"Amber," Ronan said immediately, his tone instantly softening, "I told you. I'm here to protect you."

Pity washed over him instantly.

He used one hand to wipe away her tears, then turned back to me.

The tiny crack in his expression was gone.

Only disgust remained.

"Cassandra, can you stop being so clingy and unreasonable—"

I cut him off. "Fine, cancel the engagement. But give me back my family's pledge."

Ronan froze. "What pledge?"

I raised my hand and unclasped the expensive watch from my wrist.

This was the token Ronan's mother, Donna Catherine of the Killian family, had given me when our engagement was set.

What my mother had given him was even more valuable.

"Take back your watch," I said. "And give me back the Griffin family's sapphire ring."

Ronan's expression grew colder by the second.

His gaze locked on the watch in my hand.

I had worn this watch for five years. I had never taken it off.

Everyone in both families knew how much I cherished it.

"You think everyone is as pathetic as you, fawning over a piece of junk?" he sneered.

He snatched the watch from my hand and hurled it to the ground. "Why are you treasuring a piece of trash?"

Then he gave me one last cold look. "I'll find that ring when I get home. After that, we're even."

When I got home, Sebastian was waiting in the living room.

"Cassie, there's something I need to tell you."

He handed me several thick stacks of documents.

"This downtown apartment, I'm transferring it to Amber's name so she'll have a safe place to live."

"She's suffered enough. Now that she's with us, it's time she had a good life."

I glanced at the documents.

That apartment was part of my mother's inheritance, an asset from her own family.

I took the documents with a blank face and tore them in half.

"Cassie!"

"What the hell are you doing?"

Sebastian pushed up his glasses, looking at me as if I were a disappointing child.

"Last time you had someone push Amber down the stairs, I was the one who cleaned up your mess."

"She's been through so much. Giving her an apartment is nothing."

"Have you forgotten your promise to Mother on her deathbed?"

Sebastian fell silent.

Before our mother died, she had gripped Sebastian's hand so tightly he couldn't break free, forcing him to swear—

Swear that he would protect me for the rest of his life. Take care of me. Spoil me.

Swear that no one would ever wrong me.

Swear that no one would ever take what was mine.

It was the most solemn oath a member of the Griffin family could make—to swear by the family name. To break it meant your soul would be consumed by guilt.

"I haven't forgotten," he finally said.

"But Cassie… since Amber needs my protection now too…"

"Is it really so wrong for me to share some of my kindness with her?"

"Cassie, you're too willful. Too domineering."

He sighed. "Can't you learn to be more like Amber?"

I wanted to laugh, but tears fell first.

"Sebastian."

"No one is taking anything of Mother's."

"If you want to give Amber something, fine. Take it from the Griffin family's assets. Give her as much as you want."

"Our family has more than enough to go around—"

Sebastian stopped mid-sentence.

Yes.

The Griffin family never had anything worth loving.

Neither the people. Nor the things.

I threw the torn documents into the trash can and went upstairs.

"The anniversary of Mother's death is in a few days," I said without looking back. "Don't forget."

"How could I forget?" Sebastian forced a smile.

"You get some rest. I'm going to the study to handle some things."

I didn't answer. And I didn't look back.