Chapter 52: 52

52

Bethany's POV

I stood in the middle of my office, staring at the enormous bouquet of blood-red roses that had been delivered this morning. The smell was overwhelming, suffocating even, and I resisted the urge to shove the vase out the window. The card tucked inside was, as expected, from Mason.

For you, my sweet. Let me make it right. – Mason.

Sweet? Since when was I "sweet" to him? The Mason I knew wouldn't have bothered with roses or apologies. The Mason I knew would have barked orders, snapped his fingers, and expected me to obey without question.

This wasn't love. It wasn't even kindness. It was a performance, a charade meant to make me forget how cruel he'd been.

"Ugh," I muttered under my breath, pulling the card out and crumpling it. The roses stayed where they were, but I refused to touch them again.

A knock on the door broke my train of thought, and I glanced up as Lily poked her head in.