Chapter 21
In a few quick strides, he reached them, yanking Kendra away from Aria. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
The raw, red marks blooming on Aria’s neck told the story. A surge of protective fury washed over Cade. His immediate instinct was to pull her into his arms, to inspect the damage himself.
But the moment his fingers brushed her skin, Aria recoiled as if burned. Seizing the opportunity, Kendra threw her arms around Cade's back, clinging to him like a lifeline.
Her sobs were theatrical and immediate. “Cade, I didn't mean to! I was just so upset. It's Aria—she's trying to set me up! I just panicked and I wasn’t thinking. Cade, you have to believe me!”
Cade pried her hands off him, his touch devoid of any warmth. “Explain what’s happening. Now.”
Kendra’s words came in a frantic rush. “She’s jealous, so she concocted this whole scheme to frame me! Cade, you have to help me, don't let her trick you!”
Aria said nothing in her own defense. Instead, she bent down, retrieved the phone that had been knocked to the floor during the scuffle, and pressed play on the recording.
A muscle twitched in Cade’s jaw as he listened, his face a mask of disbelief. He had always believed Kendra’s story about being a victim of Joshua Montgomery. But the truth was a far more venomous thing.
She had murdered Joshua. She had murdered Leo. The depth of her depravity was staggering. No punishment could ever atone for the pain she had inflicted on Aria.
His hands balled into fists at his sides, the knuckles white. Kendra watched his face, the dark, stormy expression terrifying her. In a desperate bid for sympathy, she clutched her stomach. “Cade, don’t listen to that recording. It’s not real!”
“I was angry! I just said those things because I was upset! You have to believe me, Cade! I didn’t kill anyone. I didn’t frame anyone. It’s all a lie! She set a trap for me!”
Cade’s expression remained unreadable, his face a cold, hard slate. No one could guess what was going through his mind.
A bitter smile touched Aria’s lips. “So, you finally get to see the real her, Cade. I bet it’s disappointing to find out she’s not as sweet and innocent as you thought.”
She then turned her gaze on Kendra, her eyes burning with a cold fire. “You murdered my father, and you murdered my son. Make no mistake, you will rot in a prison cell for the rest of your life.”
“No! That’s not true! I didn’t do it!”
Kendra flatly denied everything, switching tactics to play the victim once more. “Cade, think about our baby! You have to protect us! You can’t let them send me to prison over nothing!”
Her continued pleas of innocence were so absurd they were almost comical to Aria. Fixing her gaze on Cade, she laid out the final, damning truth.
“You heard her, Cade. She’s the one who threatened my father's life to make me leave you six years ago. She murdered him, and she murdered our son. She has spent years feeding you lies to keep you blind. She has the blood of my family on her hands, and she is going to pay.”
“She’s lying!” Kendra tightened her grip on Cade again. “Cade, I’m innocent! She manipulated me into saying those things so she could record it! I didn't do anything wrong, I swear!”
A wave of revulsion washed over Cade at Kendra’s touch. He gave her a firm push, creating a much-needed space between them. “Aria,” he said, extending his hand. “Give me the phone.”