His Nine Forged Truths

It wasn't just Maya who turned pale with fright.

I was frozen to the spot, the blood in my veins turning to ice.

For a split second, the world went silent.

Sterling finally realized his mistake.

He hurriedly let go of Cassidy and reached for me.

"Julie, it's not what you think..."

I flinched away from his touch and fled the banquet hall.

Sterling didn't follow. I didn't go far, stopping just out of sight from the entrance.

The moment I was gone, the room erupted in cheerful laughter.

"I've prepared a trust fund for the baby. Here, Cassidy, for my first grandchild."

"Sterling, that sullied woman isn't worthy of you. A pure, kind girl like Cassidy is a rare find. You must cherish her."

"You should have a few more while you're young."

Sterling's voice replied with a laugh, "I know, Mom. I'll give you what you want."

Cassidy chimed in sweetly, "As long as Sterling is willing, Mrs. Beatrice, I'll have as many children as he desires."

Every word was a dagger twisting in my gut.

Even from outside, their voices reached me, cruel and clear.

I dug my nails into my palms, the sharp pain a welcome anchor to reality.

The door behind me opened, and Sterling appeared.

"Julie, come back inside. It's cold out here."

His voice was gentle, as if nothing had happened.

I turned to face him.

For a moment, I almost wavered.

Almost.

But then his phone rang, the screen flashing with a single name: Cass.

"Go on," I whispered. "Answer it."

He hesitated for a moment, then retreated back inside without another word.

I stood alone in the cold night wind, gazing at the warm, mocking glow from the window.

In that moment, something inside me shattered. For good.

On the way home, Sterling reached over and took my hand.

I let him take it, my own fingers lying limp and lifeless in his grasp.

"Julie, you know how Mom is. She speaks without thinking. Don't take it to heart."

I stared at my ghostly reflection in the window.

"I know."

"And about Cassidy—"

"I said I know," I repeated, my voice flat.

He fell silent.

When we got home, I went straight to the wine cellar in the basement—the place in this house that terrified me most.

It was dark, cold, and suffocating.

But I needed to feel something, anything other than this unbearable numbness.