Chapter 2
He Said I Was Nothing Without Him And I Signed For Everything Chapter 02
their daughter ended up painting this kind of thing for other people, they’d turn in their graves.”
I almost spoke.
I almost told him I hadn’t left because he was broke.
I almost told him I had sold my own paintings, mortgaged my mother’s studio, and wired the money into his company anonymously.
I almost told him I had said those cruel words only because I was afraid my family’s debts would drag him down with me.
But Cassian would never believe it.
In his eyes, I was the woman who came crawling back after the Sallow family fell apart.
Dirty. Greedy. Deserving of every humiliation he gave me.
But he was right about one thing.
I had failed my mother.
After the Sallow family went under, creditors came to the door every day. At the same time, Cassian’s company was running out of cash.
Without telling anyone, I sold my paintings to pay part of my family’s debt, then sent the rest to him anonymously.
When my mother found out, it broke her heart to see how far I had pushed myself.
She had already been sick. The worry only made it worse, and one year later, she was gone.
So when Cassian became powerful and asked me to marry him, I felt joy.
But more than that, I felt shame.
My mother had died because of me. What right did I have to be happy?
Back then, I didn’t know Cassian had married me for revenge.
—
I opened the old suitcase in the corner. Inside were the sketchbooks my mother had used when she was alive.
At the bottom of the suitcase was a small metal box.
It held the things Cassian and I had kept from when we were young.
After he got his first investment, he wrote me a note.
He said, Maren Sallow, when I’m rich, I’ll buy you the biggest studio in the world.
He said, I’ll make sure you only paint what you love for the rest of your life.
I had believed him then.
That was why, when the Sallow family collapsed, I chose to carry the blame and leave him rather than let him sink with me.
I burned the note.
Then I closed the suitcase and went downstairs.
At some point, rain had started falling outside Tallowmere.
As soon as I reached the front door, two security guards stepped in front of me.
“Ms. Sallow, Mr. Veyne gave orders. You’re not allowed to take anything from the estate.”
“The suitcase contains my personal belongings.”
Isla’s voice came from behind me.
“If they’re really yours, Maren, then you won’t mind us checking, will you?”
I turned around.
She had changed into a loose white dress and was standing at the top of the stairs with Cassian’s jacket draped over her shoulders.
Cassian stood beside her.
I looked at him.
“The key and deed to the studio were just returned to me.”
“Everything else in here is mine too.”
“Whether it’s yours or not, we’ll know after we check.”
My grip tightened around the handle.
“Cassian Veyne, do you really have to go this far?”
His gaze turned cold.
Then he gave the order.
“Open it.”
