My Husband Saved My Cousin Instead of Me Chapter 09

My Husband Saved My Cousin Instead of Me Chapter 09

I refused to get in Gavin’s Rolls-Royce, so he forced his way into my passenger seat. “Sage, just listen to me.”

The car eased onto the main road. Gavin tried to keep his tone clinical while he laid out the backstory.

Cecilia had been struggling overseas until she linked up with a wealthy businessman. He was taken with her

and poured in massive investments.

But the moment Cecilia stepped onto that glittering stage, the businessman’s wife appeared and called her a

homewrecker.

Gavin spoke with that detached, rational tone he uses for board meetings. “The wife has major connections

in Italy. She was out to destroy Cecilia-completely ruin her.”

“But the businessman never told Cecilia he was married. He showered her with gifts, flowers, the whole nine yards. He chased her. Openly. Cecilia didn’t even know. Honestly? She was a victim in all this too.”

My dad cooked up the plan. He had Gavin tell the woman he was Cecilia’s actual husband and that the whole

mess was a misunderstanding.

“The story somehow leaked into Cecilia’s fan group. Your dad runs it. All her fans think she’s the CEO’s wife. If I denied it publicly, it would’ve destroyed her career overnight.”

“Your mom told me your cousin has given up way more than you ever did to make it on stage.”

“I’ve already had my people shut the story down, but you found out anyway. Don’t worry. This is just a temporary cover. Once Cecilia is stable, I’ll absolutely make your identity clear.”

“Gavin West, you’re gaslighting yourself and you don’t even see it. How pathetic is that?”

I slammed my foot on the brake. The tires screamed. Gavin jerked forward, caught hard by his seatbelt. He sat there for a second, breathing hard, then rubbed his temples like I was the one giving him a headache.

“Sage, you have every right to be furious, but don’t gamble with your life.”

“Your parents have a point. If everyone’s pointing fingers at you, maybe you’re not as innocent as you think.” I

heard what he was really saying.

I lowered my eyes and spoke softly. “So everything I told you-about the way she treated me-they’ve twisted it all around, haven’t they? Made me the liar?”

Gavin froze for a moment and let out a tired sigh. He said Cecilia loved dancing too much to ever plant

thumbtacks in her own shoes.

She would never risk paralysis by throwing herself down the stairs just to frame me. And she definitely didn’t

have the power to turn my own parents totally against me.

His voice was heavy with exhaustion. “Sage, if you were completely innocent, why does everyone point the

finger at you? Don’t you think it’s time to take a hard look at yourself?”

It’s impossible to describe what I felt. Pain? Disappointment? Or the self-hatred that comes after absolute

betrayal?

A bitter laugh almost escaped me. “What if I don’t go along? What if I rip off Cecilia’s mask for good?”

Gavin sighed, looking at me like I was a toddler throwing a tantrum. The words slipped out before he could

stop them. “Sage, if you keep acting like this, then maybe your father’s right. Maybe you need to get out of

this house and think long and hard about what you’ve done.”