The Rejected True Heiress (Liora and Callum) novel Chapter 470

“What?” he hissed.

“It wouldn’t be a real breakup, of course,” I said. “Just a fake one. Publicly. Just to make Bianca think she won.”

Callum’s face went blank. “You’re joking.”

“I’m not.” I sighed. “Look, I know it sounds insane, but if Bianca thinks we’re done, maybe she’ll stop focusing so much energy on us. It might buy us time to figure out how to stop her and Belinda without them constantly watching our every move.”

“You want to fake a breakup,” he said. “Over maybes and mights.”

“We could still be together in secret. Nobody would have to know except us.”

“Nobody would have to know.” He laughed, short and humorless. “Do you even hear yourself right now?”

“Callum—”

“I spent months loving you in secret. Months pretending I didn’t care about you while I was with Bianca. Months hiding how I really felt because I thought I had to appease everyone else for duty’s sake.” He shook his head. “I can’t go back to that life, Liora. I won’t.”

“It’s not the same thing,” I said.

“It’s exactly the same,” Callum retorted. “You’re asking me to hide. Again. To pretend I don’t love you. Again. And for what? Because some headmistress you barely know told you it was a good idea?”

“She’s a witch. She knows what we’re dealing with—”

“I know what we’re dealing with!” His voice rose, making me flinch. “I’ve been dealing with it right alongside you this whole time. But instead of trusting me, instead of letting me mark you and handling this together, you would rather take advice from a near-stranger and suggest we fake a breakup?”

He ran a hand through his hair, sending the dark locks flying. “I gave up everything to be with you, Liora. My parents disowned me. I lost my inheritance, my home, everything. All because I chose you over them. Because I love you.” His eyes were dark now, stormy. The sight terrified me, because they hadn’t looked like that in so long. Not at me.

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