What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger novel Chapter 65

Alexander kept his arm around my waist, gently pulling me aside.

"He'll kill him!" I hissed, watching William approach with the vintage cricket bat.

A dangerous smile played across Alexander's sculpted features. "Darling, death would be too merciful."

He pulled out his phone, his upper-class accent dripping with dark amusement: "Have a medical team on standby at the Blackwood estate. Discretion is paramount."

His thumb traced lazy circles on my hip, completely at odds with the tension in the air.

I shot him an incredulous look.

Castro dragged his gaze from William's approaching figure, his perfectly maintained facade crumbling like his mud-stained Armani. "Aveline, we never properly ended things. This arranged marriage - it's just business. You can't possibly—"

The crack of willow on bone cut through the morning air as William's cricket bat connected with surgical precision.

Castro crumpled to the ground with a cry of pain.

"I've been standing here listening to your bullshit," William snarled. "You manipulated my sister, struck her, and now you have the audacity to make demands?" Another swing punctuated his words.

Despite his designer suit now being thoroughly ruined by grass stains, Castro kept his desperate eyes locked on me, dragging himself forward like a wounded animal.

"Will, stop!" I called out as he raised the bat again.

Hope flared in Castro's eyes. "You see? She still cares. What we had—"

I pulled away from Alexander's protective hold and approached James. His triumphant smile froze as I crouched before him, letting my palm connect with his face

"That," I said with deadly calm, "makes us square. Next time you raise a hand to me, I won't be so gentle."

"As for breaking up -I must point out - it's rather difficult to break up when you never publicly acknowledged me as your girlfriend, isn't it? Hard to end something that officially never existed."

Rising gracefully, I smoothed my dress. "I'll make this crystal clear, Castro: I don't love you anymore. The next time you show up here, I won't stop William."

I grabbed William's arm, turning my back on Castro's broken form sprawled across our front lawn.

William, however, was still unwilling to leave.

"No need to face murder charges over someone like him." I snapped.