Chapter 414
Chapter 414:
Kristine let out a short laugh — the kind that meant she found something more absurd than funny. “Are you serious right now p>
“Don’t act innocent,” Colton snapped. “You had Elyse abducted. You faked your own death. You tracked my father all the way to Raskor. It doesn’t matter what he agrees to — I will never marry you. Not under any circumstances p>
Kristine looked at him for a moment — at the absolute certainty in his expression — and felt something settle inside her.
She could correct him. She could tell him the truth and watch the certainty dissolve. But what would that accomplish? Let him believe what he wanted. It was cleaner this way. Safer.
The corner of her mouth lifted. “You’re right. You caught me. Every last bit of it — I planned it all. The kidnapping, the funeral, finding your father. All of it was to make you marry me.” She held his gaze without blinking. “So here’s where we are: let me go, or I help your father win Alma over. And when he does, he’ll push for the marriage himself. Your choice p>
𝘗𝘰𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯
Colton’s expression darkened, but Kristine didn’t flinch. “If you truly won’t marry me, then stop holding on and let me go p>
His eyes sharpened, fixing on her with an intensity that filled the space between them.
After a long, heavy silence, he spoke. “I’ll give you anything you want. Anything except marriage p>
Kristine’s brow furrowed.
She could never make sense of him. His signals were contradictory in ways that made her head ache.
“But marriage is the only thing I want,” she said. “If you won’t give me that, then we have nothing left to say to each other. Let me walk away p>
Colton stepped closer, his height cutting off the light behind him. “You are not in a position to make demands p>
Kristine was quiet for a moment, something shifting behind her eyes. Then she looked at him evenly and said, “Fine. I’ll come back with you p>
Colton blinked. He had not expected her to fold so quickly. “You’re agreeing? Just like that p>
“You’re not exactly giving me a choice, are you?” she said, with a laugh that had nothing warm in it. “I’ll go. But tell me — what exactly is my place in this? You already have a fiancée p>
Colton kept his face neutral. “Don’t worry about that. Come back, and I’ll take care of everything else p>
Kristine stepped back, out of his reach. “You’ll take care of it. Of course. And while you do, I’ll be the one everyone despises — the other woman, the home-wrecker. That’s what you mean, isn’t it p>
“No one will dare say a word against you,” Colton said, a hard edge entering his voice.
Kristine said nothing. She simply looked at him, her eyes carrying something close to pity.
Only then did it come back to him — the names she had been called, the contempt she had endured from people who saw her as nothing more than a woman chasing a man who didn’t belong to her. The memory settled unpleasantly in his chest.