Lethal Temptation (by Michelle Ray) novel Chapter 187

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Mara

What we walked into was…. a lot.

Martha stood in the hallway wearing a black silk robe-untied, gaping open to reveal lingerie that left nothing to the imagination. The lace clung to her curves, deliberate and desperate. Darian stepped forward to help her tie the robe shut, but the damage was already done.

We’d seen it all.

Say what you want about Martha-she knew how to use what she had. But the fact Vander hadn’t caved said everything. The man was finished. She’d played her final card, and it flopped.

‘Darian, tell your mother to move to the seventh room down the hall,” Vander said, his voice flat and exhausted. His shirt was rumpled, buttons misaligned. I didn’t want to guess what exactly had happened in that room-but whatever it was, Vander had rejected her.

‘No!” Martha cried, reaching for him. “We can talk this out, Vander. Please.”

He didn’t even look at her.

‘I wanted you out of my life,” he said. “Lucian asked me to reconsider. That’s the only reason you’re still here. Go to the seventh room. I would’ve sent you to the left wing, but you’d only stir up trouble with my

children.”

I should’ve walked away. It would’ve been the decent thing to do. But I stayed. She’d earned every bit of

this public unravelling.

‘I’ve done nothing wrong,” she said through tears. “I never cheated on you. I loved you for so many years- before you even saw me. I loved Lucian, too. From the moment I saw him, I-”

“If you truly loved me,” Vander interrupted, “you would’ve loved my son. You would’ve told me the truth.”

Her face twisted, and she shook her head.

“I tried, Vander. But I couldn’t win. I was never enough. Competing with a ghost for your heart ruined me. I watched you call her name in your sleep. I felt it when you touched me-like you were somewhere else with her. How was I supposed to live with that?”

“You weren’t supposed to lie and poison my son against me,” he said sharply.

“I wasn’t Natasha!” she snapped, tears streaming down her cheeks. “She was everything. Educated. Sophisticated. An Alpha of Driftwake. And me? I’m just a street girl from Goldenpeak you helped out. You gave me shelter, and then you handed me a mirror I couldn’t compete with.”

She took a breath, shaky and bitter.

“So yes, Vander. I have a complex. You gave it to me. And now you want to throw me away like I never

C167 Curtain Call For A Queen-1

187 Curtain Call For A Queen-1

Mara

What we walked into was… a lot.

Martha stood in the hallway wearing a black silk robe-untied, gaping open to reveal lingerie that left nothing to the imagination. The lace clung to her curves, deliberate and desperate. Darian stepped forward to help her tie the robe shut, but the damage was already done.

We’d seen it all.

Say what you want about Martha-she knew how to use what she had. But the fact Vander hadn’t caved

said everything. The man was finished. She’d played her final card, and it flopped.

“Darian, tell your mother to move to the seventh room down the hall,” Vander said, his voice flat and

exhausted. His shirt was rumpled, buttons misaligned. I didn’t want to guess what exactly had happened

in that room-but whatever it was, Vander had rejected her.

“No!” Martha cried, reaching for him. “We can talk this out, Vander. Please.”

He didn’t even look at her.

“I wanted you out of my life,” he said. “Lucian asked me to reconsider. That’s the only reason you’re still

here. Go to the seventh room. I would’ve sent you to the left wing, but you’d only stir up trouble with my

children.”

I should’ve walked away. It would’ve been the decent thing to do. But I stayed. She’d earned every bit of

this public unravelling.

“I’ve done nothing wrong,” she said through tears. “I never cheated on you. I loved you for so many years- before you even saw me. I loved Lucian, too. From the moment I saw him, I—”

“If you truly loved me,” Vander interrupted, “you would’ve loved my son. You would’ve told me the truth.”

Her face twisted, and she shook her head.

“I tried, Vander. But I couldn’t win. I was never enough. Competing with a ghost for your heart ruined me, I

watched you call her name in your sleep. I felt it when you touched me-like you were somewhere else with her. How was I supposed to live with that?”

“You weren’t supposed to lie and poison my son against me,” he said sharply.

“I wasn’t Natasha!” she snapped, tears streaming down her cheeks. “She was everything. Educated. Sophisticated. An Alpha of Driftwake. And me? I’m just a street girl from Goldenpeak you helped out. You gave me shelter, and then you handed me a mirror I couldn’t compete with.”

She took a breath, shaky and bitter.

“So yes, Vander. I have a complex. You gave it to me. And now you want to throw me away like I never

187 Curtain Call For A Queen-1

mattered.”

Her voice broke, and for the first time, I didn’t hear venom-I heard emptiness.

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