Chapter 19 Doubt The priest murmured, "It wasn't an accident. It was intentional." Luna blinked, momentarily confused. "What do you mean?" Grant's eyes darkened, a thought already forming. His voice was low, gravelly. "She came herself to handle it, didn't she?" Luna's surprise deepened, a sly smile flickering in her eyes. "Oriana? How could she? She wouldn't-" The priest and nun said no more, but Grant was already certain-it was a silent confirmation. She had, in fact, personally extinguished the protection she had prayed for on his behalf. A thought struck Grant. He pulled out his phone and opened his chat with Oriana. She had never ignored his messages before; she always responded, sometimes even scolding him for being unavailable for hours at a time. And now, for over ten days, she had been unusually cold. And yet, she had gone to Fortine Mount without a word and had dealt with his charm herself. He hadn't been there with her as promised. How could she now act so unreasonably? Grant said nothing and turned to leave. He called Oriana repeatedly, but there was no answer. Once in the car, he slammed his hand against the steering wheel in frustration and called Alaric. 'Has she had any contact with Micah since?" Before Alaric could speak, Grant's cold, sharp tone cut in. Luna, who had hurried into the car, felt her heart hammering. Alaric froze. He thought Grant was asking about the next message after the last one he had sent. 'No, I've been monitoring. No contact. Grant, is everything okay?" Alaric asked. 'Keep watching her," Grant said, abruptly ending the call, then sped the car forward. 'Grant, you're driving too fast! I'm scared," Luna said, panic rising in her voice. Grant ignored her, even pressing the accelerator further. Luna gripped her seatbelt tightly, her perfectly made-up face paling. It was the first time she had seen Grant so furious, so irrational-and all for Oriana. A heavy sense of jealousy crept up inside Luna. After returning from Fortine Mount, Oriana ignored all of Grant's messages. 1/3 Scabar. By the time Oriana reached home, it was nearly midnight. She had intended to return to her dorm, but the curfew had passed, so she headed to her apartment instead. The door clicked open, revealing a dark apartment. Grant wasn't there? The next second, lights suddenly snapped on, extinguishing Oriana's brief hope. Grant was already standing in the hallway. His face was bruised, his usually handsome features marred by a rough, unkempt shadow. His eyes fell on Oriana's suitcase as he stepped closer, each step deliberate and imposing. "Who did you go to Fortine Mount with?" His voice was calm but dangerous. Oriana frowned. "I'm tired. I need to rest." She avoided him, hoping to leave. But for Grant, this was clearly an attempt to hide something. Anger flared across his face. He grabbed her wrist and slammed her against the wall. 'Ouch!" Oriana cried, the cold, hard latex-painted wall jarring her back. Her wrist throbbed painfully as well. Grant's eyes burned with icy fury, red-rimmed. "You went to get rid of the charm? Were you planning to replace it with someone else's? Who is it-the man you've been video-chatting with every night?" Oriana froze. He actually knew? Grant noticed the panic in her eyes, and his rage intensified. "I'm right, aren't I, Oriana? You lied to me?" Grant growled, his grip on her wrist strong enough to almost crush the bone. Oriana grabbed his hand. "I didn't! I went to Lockwishe with Zara. Grant, don't let your filthy suspicions cloud your judgment!" "If not, then why hide it from me? If not, then why ignore my calls?" Grant's voice was hoarse with disbelief. "Oriana, did you forget the promise from three years ago?" Her pupils constricted. Three years ago? 213 Her lips trembled. "Three years ago, in that leaky, cheap apartment, we made a pinky promise to rely on each other, to face everything together, no matter how hard it got." She lifted her chin, her gaze stubborn and icy. "And you? You lied to me, using 'work' as an excuse to ditch our promise, then went to Fortine Mount with Luna, hiding the fact that you would deal with the charm I had prayed for. I only did what you were planning to do. How dare you take it out on me? "Grant, the one who broke the promise three years ago first was you." Grant, who had been furious moments before, froze mid-breath at her words. For an instant, the two were silent, the only sound their ragged breathing. Until the phone rang-it was Zara. Oriana glanced at it, took several deep breaths to calm herself, and answered. "Zara, are you home yet?" "I've been home for a while! I was just about to tell you-you left your cardholder with me. I'll get someone to bring it over tomorrow." 20 3/3