Jasper’s eyes went dark, his face looking like a thunderstorm ready to break. He practically ran over and got right up in her face. “Anastasia, don’t you think you owe me some kind of explanation?”

It wasn’t that he was being jealous—what she was doing was seriously fucked up. She’d just been all over Cassian, and now here she was cozying up to another pretty boy. He’d always been confident that when Anastasia was with him, she’d never mess around with anyone else. He thought he had enough game to keep her satisfied. But seeing her walking so close to Garthan made him want to punch something. Valeria’s words kept echoing in his head—was Anastasia really that kind of slut? Had she been hooking up with other guys while they were together?

Anastasia stared at Jasper like he’d completely lost it. When she’d actually needed him, he was always nowhere to be found. Now that she was done with him and wanted absolutely nothing to do with him, he kept popping up like a bad rash.

Anastasia walked right past Jasper without saying a word. Garthan shot him a curious look and followed her.

That pissed Jasper off even more. He yelled after them, “Anastasia, what, you gonna die without a dick to ride?! You’re really good at managing your time!” His voice was loaded with venom.

Anastasia stopped dead and spun around, her eyes blazing. “Your mind is in the gutter, so that’s all you can see. You’re the gross one here, not me.”

Jasper was stunned into silence for a moment. Then he stammered, “If… if that’s not what this is, you could just explain.”

Anastasia’s voice could’ve frozen hell over. “Explain what? Why the fuck should I explain anything to you? Who are you to me? If I needed to explain myself to anyone, it would be to my husband, not some random asshole.”

With that, Anastasia turned and walked away.

Jasper stood there feeling like he’d been hit by a truck. Did he really have zero right to ask her anything anymore?

Anastasia glanced at Garthan. “Sorry you had to witness that shitshow.”

Garthan shook his head. “Hey, we all have baggage, right?”

But Garthan got the real message behind what Anastasia had said. She wasn’t just putting Jasper in his place—she was sending him a message too. Anastasia was making it crystal clear that she was married.

Still, Garthan wasn’t ready to give up. He’d done his homework. Sure, Cassian and Anastasia were together now, but they hadn’t made any official announcements. So who really knew if it was legit? Besides, Garthan figured that if the Rhodes family—total old money royalty—had actually gotten married, there would’ve been some massive society wedding. Not this complete radio silence.

Maybe Anastasia was just shacking up with Cassian and had convinced herself she was his wife.

He still had a chance.

Right then, a medical waste cart came flying toward Anastasia out of nowhere. She seemed totally spaced out and didn’t see it coming. By the time she snapped back to reality, she was obviously freaked out and tried to jump back out of the way. But someone was faster, grabbing her arm and yanking her to safety.

Anastasia slammed into Garthan’s chest hard. She could feel his heart pounding against her ear.

“You alright?” Garthan’s smooth voice came from somewhere above her head.

Anastasia shoved him away immediately, took a steadying breath, and said matter–of–factly, "Thanks."

Garthan’s hands were still tingling from where he’d touched her. When she’d crashed into him, he’d felt how soft she was and caught that intoxicating scent she always had. When she pulled away, it felt like someone had carved a chunk out of his chest. He managed a smile. “No big deal. Anyone would’ve done the same thing.”

From her hiding spot around the corner, Sonia watched Anastasia walk away completely unharmed, her face twisting into something ugly. She hissed through clenched teeth, “Lucky bitch. Next time she won’t be so fucking lucky!”