A High so Sweet (Thornes & Roses 2)

“I’m going to head into town today,” I say, but I don’t look at him. My body isn’t strong anymore. I don’t have the fight in me that I used to have. So, I focus on my mug that’s now filled with dark liquid.

“And where are you intending on spending the day?” Paulo questions, his voice lilting with dark intent. If I were to tell him I’m hoping to see Cassian, I’ll be bound to the bed upstairs and high on whatever he decides to inject into my veins.

“My friend, Genevieve,” I lie. She’s not a friend, merely an acquaintance I grew up hating. Not because she did anything to me, but because she was best friends with the Thornes. Her connection to them turned into something more when she and the eldest brother, Damien, started hooking up. And then, they were all in her sights.

But, as much as I can’t stand her, she’s a lesser evil than Paulo. So I close my eyes and pray he doesn’t delve deeper into my reasoning.

“I don’t want you out late,” he says, but the clicking of the keys on his laptop is evidence that he’s not bothered because I mentioned the name of a woman. “Perhaps bring her here,” he suggests, his voice turning gentle, and I know why he’s saying that.

There’s no hiding that the man I agreed to marry cheats. I’ve seen him with other women. Granted, it was when we were in LA, and at those parties, he’d always ensured I wasn’t focused on what he was doing. He knew when to give me something to keep me compliant. Whether it was in my drink or a pill, Paulo was well versed in keeping women at his beck and call.

Most times, I thought I was imagining things. At least, that’s what he used to tell me I was doing.

“I’ll see if she’d like to have dinner with us,” I offer before sipping my drink. My gaze lingers on the garden behind the house because I can’t look at my soon-to-be husband. If I do, I’ll break down and cry.

Cassian saw us together at the party, and deep down, I wonder if he was jealous. Most people assume we’re happily engaged, but they don’t truly know me. Cassian does, and he surely knows the truth. And that is, I’m a prisoner in my own home. The pain I’ve endured, the drugs that have been forced upon me, are not of my choosing, not anymore.

When I wanted to go to rehab, I begged my parents. They agreed; only when Paulo walked in and promised them the world, pledged to pay for my dad’s treatments, did I realize my life would never be the same.

And even then, I didn’t fight it.

I played the dutiful fiancée, which brings me here, to Thorne Haven, to a place I never thought I’d see again. And it brings me back to why my heart is broken.

“Don’t be out late,” Paulo says again, but he’s still working, so all I do is offer a nod and hastily make my way to the bedroom to change. I pull on a pair of jeans and a long, flowing tee, which covers my slight curves.

I’m no longer the vivacious girl Cassian will remember. Now, I’m nothing more than a waif that has a bad past. In the car, I pull away from the house with my breath still filling my lungs, trying to ignore the fact that I’m sure Paulo is watching from one of the windows.

I don’t race, though. Instead, I take a slow drive down the cobblestone driveway until I reach the gate, which slides open. Once I’m on the road, I put my foot on the gas and head away from town.

It’s time I came face-to-face with Cassian again, but this time, I’m going to be the one calling the shots. Before I head home later, I’ll go see Gen, talk to her, and pray she doesn’t tell me to go to hell.

I don’t have friends in this town.

There isn’t anyone I can run to when I need something. It used to only be Cass, and when he was busy, I would face whatever it was alone. High. But alone.

By the time I pull up to Thorne Manor, I’m shaking like a leaf. Perhaps I should’ve eaten something before coming here, but spending one more moment with Paulo would’ve sent me over the edge. And that would’ve only led to more drugs, which I don’t need right now.

What I do need is the brutal truth.

Exiting the car, I find Finn sauntering out of the house with keys swinging on his index finger. “Oh,” he says, a smile playing on his lips, “now this is a sight I didn’t expect so early in the morning.”

“I need to see Cass.” My voice breaks, the croakiness causing the words to sound more pained than confident, and I clear my throat in the hopes he didn’t notice.