Chapter 319
Chapter 182: The Blonde Blackwood
Roman
I watched my brother’s face shift. Surprise first. Then confusion. Then shock. Then, finally–realization. A slow, dawning
awareness creeping across his features like rot spreading under the skin.
“You’ve been deceived,” Reese said with a rough, humorless chuckle. Like the situation was so absurd, so twisted that he
couldn’t help but laugh. “Let me guess–you’re the one feeding these nasty stories to Savannah? You really are dumber
than I thought. You let an old cunning man deceive you with what? Doctored texts? A burner phone? Are you that gullible,
or were you just desperate to shift the blame to someone else p>
“You can spin whatever narrative you want, Reese,” I hissed. My jaw clenched so hard it hurt. “But that doesn’t change the
fact that I know what I saw in that cellphone. I know the messages I read. You’re not talking your way out of this one p>
“Oh really?” he asked, leaning back against the counter, smug. Like he was the only sane one in the room. “If you really believe those texts–then tell me… what was my contact name saved as on Dahlia’s phone p>
I frowned. The question sounded so insignificant compared to the war happening between us. “What the hell are you talking about? It was saved as Reese. What else would she save it as? ‘ Love of my fucking life ‘? ”
“No.” He dipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone. His fingers moved confidently, like he had known this moment was coming. He didn’t even look at me as he navigated. Then he shoved the phone into my face. “Look,” he said.
The screen showed a message thread–Dahlia and Reese. But this… this wasn’t the thread I had seen years ago. This wasn’t the poison that had destroyed everything. My pulse hammered as my eyes scanned the messages.
Dahlia: Guess what I saved your contact as?
Reese: Reese the Menace? You’ve called me that a million times. Got it, right?
Dahlia: LOL. No. I figured you’d guess that easily. So I found another one. “The Blonde Blackwood p>
A screenshot followed as proof.
Dahlia: Cool, isn’t it?
Reese: Badass more like. But … I like it. Good job, Dee. Still waiting for that portrait.
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09:24 Sat, Dec 20 G
Chapter 319
Dahlia: Almost done! It’ll be yours soon. Fingers crossed he likes it. Hahaha.
Then the final message she sent Reese was what speared through my ribs and cracked something open:
Dahlia: I love him. I don’t want to leave him. But I know I have to, if not I’ll die. Why’s the world so cruel, Reese?
My throat closed. My heartbeat stopped. My lungs forgot what to do. The room felt like it was tilting, like gravity itself had
pulled away from me.
That wasn’t the chat I saw. That wasn’t the Dahlia I was shown. That wasn’t Reese betraying me. That was Dahlia
confiding in him. Crying to him. Loving me.
My wife loved me. My brother was loyal to me. Someone broke that on purpose.
Reese slipped the phone back into his pocket like he hadn’t just shattered the foundation of my life. Like he hadn’t just
taken everything I thought I knew and ground it into dust under his heel.
“Still not convinced?” he asked, voice flat. “You still think I had something to do with Dahlia? What else do I need to show
you? Huh? Tell me, Roman. Tell me what will make you finally see the truth p>
My mind was spinning. Faces blurred. The world blurred. Everything I believed in every rage, every resentment, every day
I spent hating my own brother–it all began to look grotesque.
“What did you people do to her?” My voice came out raw, broken, unsteady. “Why were her texts doctored? Why was her
phone tampered with? What did you and Reginald do to Dahlia p>
Reese’s face twisted–hurt, disgusted, offended all at once. “What the fuck do you mean me? I did nothing but be kind to
her. I defended her. I listened to her when you were gone.” His voice dropped. “If you want to know what happened to
Dahlia – ask The General. ”
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Sara Lili
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.