Pay Me Back

Why was he looking at her so confused? Wasn't she the one who was supposed to be confused?! He was the one who told her to retrieve the object, yet now his gaze lingered on the necklace she wore as if he'd never seen it before.

This had to be the necklace, right? Had she gotten it wrong— after all that suffering?

"What was the object I was supposed to take from the maze if not this necklace?" Bella demanded, clutching her torn dress at the hem, her fingers curling tighter until the fabric creased. Her voice wavered slightly, betraying her fraying nerves. She glared at him, her mbrows furrowing as though her determination alone could drag the truth out of him.

Cassius tilted his head, crimson eyes narrowing thoughtfully as he rubbed his chin. "It's a round object," he began, his tone annoyingly casual, as though this were a simple conversation and not the result of her risking life and limb.

"Round?" she echoed, trying to picture it.