20. Manipulations
Alexander
“I know I committed an unforgivable mistake, but it was just a one-time lapse,” Kristel murmurs, her voice vulnerable in the way she knows so well how to wield.
“I love you. I was just jealous of the closeness you share with Sam. I felt invisible. And sometimes, you do stupid things just to remind yourself you exist. We can get past this. If you really love me…”
“Stop,” I cut her off sharply. “Enough. No emotional blackmail. You have no idea what I feel.”
“But I do,” she insists, stepping closer, reaching toward my chest. “I know you still love me too. I know you’re only seeing Sam to get back at me—I understand that. You can even sleep with her if you want, just so we’re even.”
I recoil, pushing her hand away.
“Stop. Stop right now.”
But she keeps going, unaware of just how vile her words are, shifting tactics with unsettling ease.
“I’m asking your forgiveness for hurting you, Alexander,” she says, her voice trembling now, tears hovering at the edge of her eyes. “But one moment of weakness doesn’t define us. I’m not proud of what I did, but I refuse to be reduced to that single act. You know me. You know who I really am…”
I listen, stunned by her audacity, by her ability to twist reality. The patience I was trying to hold on to evaporates instantly. Something inside me finally snaps.
“There’s nothing left to prove or to save, Kristel,” I cut in coldly. “It’s over. Between us. For good.”
I watch her face fall as she realizes her manipulation isn’t working anymore. For the first time, I’m not giving in.
“You don’t mean that,” she says after a moment, panic now unmistakable in her voice. “You’re just angry. In a few days, when you’ve calmed down, you’ll see that—”
“No,” I reply firmly. “There will be no reconciliation. You made your choice when you slept with Grégoire. Now I’m making mine. And I’m not looking back.”
And I turn to leave.
“So that’s it?” she screams, consumed by rage. “You just move from one sister to the other like it’s nothing?”
I freeze, but I don’t turn around.
“This is all her fault!” she spits, hatred dripping from every word. “She never accepted that you were mine. She should’ve accepted her defeat when we got together, but no—she kept coveting what belonged to me, kept looking at you with those pathetic big eyes…”
A chill runs down my spine. Her words echo in my head, slowly assembling like pieces of a puzzle. Too many things suddenly make sense.
I turn back toward her, slowly.
“What did you just say?”
“What?” she replies—and I see it in her eyes. She understands too late that she’s made a mistake.
“What do you mean, she should’ve accepted her defeat?” I ask.
My voice is dangerously low. My heart is pounding.
“You knew,” I continue. “You knew she had feelings for me before we ever got together. That’s why you chased me from party to party. None of those ‘coincidences’ were coincidences at all.”
The silence that follows confirms everything. I see defiance flash across her face.
“So what?” she snaps. “What does that change?”
What does that change? Rage rises in me—hot, crushing.
“You knew Sam loved me,” I repeat, my voice shaking with barely contained fury. “You knew she loved me, and you still tried to seduce me. What kind of monster does that to her own sister?”
I look at her, and it’s as if I’m seeing her for the first time.
“She’s not my sister!” Kristel screams, all traces of vulnerability gone.
“She never will be! Her mother destroyed my family! Because of her, my father left my mother to marry his mistress. After that, my mother was never the same. She was so devastated she drowned herself in alcohol. She stopped picking me up from school, forgot my birthday… until the day they found her dead, drowned in her own vomit.”
Her voice breaks.
“I lost everything because of them. So yes, I hate them. I hate her!”
For the first time, I see real pain on her face. And despite my anger, a part of me feels compassion for the woman I thought I loved. But it changes nothing. Pain explains. It does not excuse.
“I’m sorry for what you went through,” I say quietly. “No child should ever have to live that. But Kristel… Sam didn’t choose to be born. She didn’t destroy your family. Your father made that choice. Your mother chose to let herself fall apart instead of protecting you.”
I step closer, locking eyes with her.
“You’ve spent your entire life punishing Sam for the mistakes of the adults around you. And you used me as one of your weapons.”
Kristel stares back at me, her eyes blazing with resentment.
I hold her gaze.
“Here’s a reality check, Kristel. Life is unfair.
No matter what cards life deals you, what matters is the work you do on yourself—the choices you make with what you’re given.
If you choose hatred, you reap hatred. Sam was mistreated by her family too, but she chose to remain luminous.
That’s the difference between the two of you. ”
“It was always her!” she spits.
“Yes,” I say simply. “Because she never lied to me. Because she never manipulated me. Because with her, I get to be myself. And if you spent less time watching Sam and more time building your own life, maybe you wouldn’t be so bitter. And less alone.”
“I’ll get my revenge,” she hisses, her eyes burning with fury. “You’ll both regret this.”
“I already regret it,” I say calmly. “I regret not seeing who you really were. I regret losing three years of my life with someone who used me to hurt her own sister. I regret every kiss. Every promise.”
My voice hardens.
“But you know what? I’m glad you cheated on me. Thank you for opening my eyes. Thanks to that, I’m finally free of your manipulation. Of your toxicity.”
She raises her hand to slap me, her face twisted with rage. I block her easily, gripping her wrist firmly but without brutality.
“Don’t even try,” I say as I release her.
I look at her one last time. The woman I thought I loved. The woman I thought I knew. I feel nothing now. No love. No hatred. Just an immense weariness—and a deep relief that it’s over.
“Goodbye, Kristel. I sincerely hope you find peace someday.”
I leave her there, in that dark courtyard, and head back into the restaurant. My hands tremble slightly. I pause for a moment, take a deep breath, straighten my shoulders, and return to the dining room. I need to be calm for Sam.
Kristel’s friends are gone. Sam is back at the table, her dress still slightly damp. When she sees me, her eyes search mine—questioning, worried.
I walk over to her and gently rest my hands on her shoulders. She looks up at me, and I see all her questions, all her fears.
“Are you okay?” she asks softly.
“Yes.”
Then I lean down and whisper in her ear.
“Come home with me tonight.”
“Let’s go,” she replies without hesitation.
We say goodbye to Oliver, David, and their partners.
In the car, I keep one hand on Sam’s thigh as I drive. Emelyne and Mara, in the back seat, respect our silence.
I drop the two sisters off in front of their building. Emelyne holds Sam’s hand for a long moment.
“Call me if you need anything, okay?” she says.
“Always.”
When we pull away, alone in the car, the silence grows heavier. More charged. Sam finally speaks, her voice hesitant.
“We heard you,” she says. “Emelyne and I. When we were in the restroom. Do you want to talk about it?”
I keep my eyes on the road for a moment, then say quietly,
“When I think that she knew you loved me—and seduced me because of it…”
I feel her hand tense under mine.
“Yes,” Sam explains softly. “She overheard me talking about it with Anna on the phone.”
I grip the steering wheel tighter, my jaw clenching.
“I’m sorry. Sorry I was blind enough to fall into her trap.”
The silence stretches. Then her fingers lace with mine.
“It’s not your fault,” she murmurs. “You couldn’t have known. Even I didn’t realize how much she hated me. But none of that matters anymore. We’re together now. That’s what matters.”
I nod and pull into the underground parking garage.
When the engine cuts off, I draw her into my arms and kiss her, tenderness and gratitude woven together.
“Yes,” I murmur against her lips. “We’re together. And this time, I won’t look away.”
Sam unbuckles her seatbelt and I recline my seat so she can climb onto my lap.
Her knees slide on either side of my hips and she leans toward me to kiss me.
My cock hardens and pulses gently against her lace panties.
I lean down and kiss her cleavage that smells of wine.
I lick her skin with the tip of my tongue and she arches backward to offer me her throat while her pussy rubs against my erection.
The parking garage is shrouded in darkness. I lower her zipper and free her breasts. Her lace bra is so sheer it’s indecent. I take her breast in my mouth over the thin fabric and wet it with my tongue. She moans with pleasure while grinding against my hard cock until ecstasy overtakes her.
I lift her up a bit, just long enough to free my shaft and push her panties aside. She watches me as I align us both, then, eyes locked on mine, she slowly impales herself on my erection.
My hips rise to meet her. My mouth finds her breasts again as Sam rides me without restraint. I’ve never known such a torrid relationship with a woman. And when her walls tighten around my cock and I release my climax inside her, I’m terrified by the passion she inspires in me.