Scarlett (Second Edition) by Karima Saad Usman novel Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Maxwell’s POV

The realization hit me like a freight train. Scarlett–despite everything we’d heard, everything we’d believed was a virgin. There

was no lie in her eyes, no deception. All this time, we’d treated her with contempt, lashing out, blinded by false assumptions and

resentment. We’d unleashed anger on an innocent, all because we’d thought she’d betrayed the mate bond. If this was true, then we

had committed an unspeakable wrong against her, punishing her for things she’d never done.

The entire picture began to shift, and I was left questioning everything we’d been led to believe. Who had Thomas really been

following? Who was that girl Vladislav introduced to us, letting us believe she was Scarlett? Nikolay had deceived us in life, but

seemed we’d let him keep deceiving us even in death. And David–he’d handed her over like some tool, without a shred of dignity,

furthering her shame instead of honoring her.

Stasia, for all her loyalty, had been a mistake–a painful, repeated mistake that Lucian always justified as necessary. But right now,

the truth was unavoidable: we’d become the tainted ones, accusing Scarlett of being impure when we were the ones who had lost

sight of honour and restraint. Since Scarlett arrived, she’d shown none of the behavior we’d expected, not a single attempt to seduce

any of us despite the intensity of the mate bond. I’d assumed she was handling her urges in private, but now it made sense. She had

no experience with pleasure, no understanding of it–she was completely naive.

My heart twisted, the weight of guilt settling heavily on me. Nikolay might have been a monster, but he’d shielded her, kept her from the brutal world we inhabited. And here we were, the very people meant to protect her, treating her worse than an enemy. She

deserved better, much better.

I sat in my room, the weight of guilt crushing me as I let the tears fall freely. Every ounce of anger, every twisted need for revenge, had blinded me. We’d betrayed her trust before she’d even had a chance to give it. How could we ever hope to redeem ourselves? Would she ever forgive us–let alone love us after all we’d done?

A knock on the door snapped me out of my thoughts. I knew it was Lucian, and I called out, telling him to go away. But he insisted, pushing the door open a crack despite my clear request.

“Stasia wants to say hello,” he said, his tone casual. I couldn’t believe the audacity. Here we were, trying to mend things with our mate, and he was bringing someone else into the home we shared with her. The cruelty, the insensitivity–it was too much.

“Fuck off, Lucian. Take your bitch and fuck off!” I shouted, the anger flaring up. How could he be so blind? Scarlett was alone, vulnerable, barely coping with all the pain we’d inflicted on her. And he had the nerve to flaunt his insensitivity like this.

I wiped my tears, determined, and stormed out of the room, finding Scarlett by the window, quietly absorbed in her book. My heart twisted at her calm, almost resigned expression, and I turned just in time to see Lucian carrying Stasia’s bag into his room.

“I thought I said there was no room for her in this apartment, Lucian!” I yelled, my voice echoing with authority.

“I live here too, you know?” Lucian replied calmly, refusing to acknowledge the weight of the situation.

Stasia, seemingly

unfazed, glanced my way and purred, “Good evening, Alpha Maxwell,” her voice laced with an exaggerated

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Chapter 24

seductiveness that only made the situation more unbearable. The sight of her made my regret intensify, knowing how much I

loathed the fact that we’d ever been involved with her.

“Don’t ever speak to me,” I snapped at her, unable to contain the disdain. “You should be ashamed of yourself, moving in with a man who has a mate he refuses to acknowledge or reject. How does it feel, playing second fiddle?”

Stasia’s confidence faltered, hurt flashing briefly across her face, but I was done holding back. Scarlett deserved the respect, the loyalty, that we’d denied her from the start. And I would make sure she got it.

Comments

Michele Gremillion

1 Comments

oh my one extreme to the other. I kind of feel a little sry stasis, she’s kind of been thrown into the situation.

7 days ago

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