Bound By Lies - Rafe Cameron

Chapter 21

Rafe's POV

The door had barely closed behind me when the force of the slap sent me stumbling back, pain exploding across my cheek like a sudden burst of fire. I tasted blood, felt the sharp sting as my lip split open, and for a moment, all I could do was blink, the world spinning around me in a dizzying blur.

"What the hell—" I started, but Ward's voice cut through the haze, low and dangerous.

"Rose told me about the number, Rafe," he growled, his face twisted with a mix of anger and something darker—something that made my skin crawl. "But it's not just that, is it?"

I blinked, the pain slowly giving way to a cold, simmering rage as I straightened up, my hands trembling at my sides. "What are you talking about?" I muttered, wiping the blood from my lip.

"What am I talking about?" he echoed bitterly, his eyes blazing with fury. "I'm talking about what you did—what you tried to do to your sister."

My heart lurched painfully in my chest, a cold dread settling in my stomach. Sarah.

"Dad, I—"

"Don't," he snarled, cutting me off. "Don't you dare lie to me, Rafe. I know what you did. I know you tried to have Sarah disappear."

The words slammed into me like a punch to the gut, stealing the breath from my lungs. He knew. He fucking knew.

"How could you do that to her?" he demanded, his voice rising with each word. "How could you even think about doing something like that to your own sister?"

My chest tightened, the guilt and shame twisting through me like a knife, but I shoved it down, buried it deep where it couldn't hurt me—where it couldn't make me weak.

"She's a traitor," I muttered harshly, my voice low and dangerous. "She chose him over us. Over you."

"She's your sister!" Ward roared, his voice echoing through the empty house. "She's family, Rafe. You don't just... you don't try to make her disappear!"

"She made her choice," I growled back, the anger simmering just beneath the surface. "And I made mine."

"Goddammit, Rafe!" Ward shouted, his face red with rage. "You're gonna destroy this family. You're gonna ruin everything I've worked for because you can't control yourself!"

"I'm trying to protect this family!" I snapped, my voice trembling with a mix of fury and desperation. "I'm trying to—"

"Protect?" he spat, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Is that what you call it? Is that what you think this is?"

"I'm doing what has to be done," I muttered, my chest heaving. "I'm doing what you won't do."

"You're out of control, Rafe," he hissed, taking a step closer, his gaze boring into mine. "You've lost your fucking mind."

"Maybe I have," I shot back, my voice breaking. "Maybe I have lost my mind. But at least I'm not standing here, making excuses for her. At least I'm not pretending like everything's fine, like she didn't betray us!"

"She's your sister," Ward whispered harshly, his voice trembling. "She's your little sister. And you tried to—"

"Fuck you!" I roared, the anger boiling over, making my vision blur. "Fuck you and your lectures! You think you can stand there and judge me? You think you're better than me?"

Ward flinched, his jaw clenched, his hands trembling at his sides. "Rafe—"

"You're a hypocrite," I spat, the words like acid on my tongue. "You're just as fucked up as I am. Maybe worse."