Julie's gaze drifted, her mind turning over the pieces of the puzzle.
There was Lucious, standing before her, willing to stake his life on his master's honor. There was Isabelle, too—her bright, unwavering faith in Cassius shining through every word she'd spoken about him earlier, from his dessert recipes to his mercy.
And then there was Cassius himself—the infuriating, arrogant genius who'd promised to save them, who'd spared their lives when he could've ended them without a second thought. For all his flaws, he'd never struck her as a liar. Reckless, perverse, absurdly talented—yes. But not a liar.
And she knew she had to choose. And against her better judgment, against the absurdity of the moans still filtering through that damned door, she decided to trust him. To trust Cassius with their lives.
