From Substitute To Queen novel Chapter 125

Chapter 125

“Oh my God,” Sable whispered. Her face had gone pale. If you hadn’t been drugged instead of me…” She shook her head. “That psychopath!”

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I continued, showing her the next piece of evidence. “And remember James Miller, the waiter who deliberately bumped into me at our engagement party?”

I pointed to the screen. “The phone contains complete conversation records between him and Blair, including the hush money she paid him afterward.”

Sable sank back into her seat, overwhelmed by the revelations.

“Most importantly,” I said, my voice hardening, “Blair’s ‘suicide’ was completely staged.”

Her head snapped up.

“She’s been a diving expert since childhood. She knew she wouldn’t die-I only just learned about her diving skills.” I flipped through more evidence. “The two rogues who attacked us were arranged by Lucian.”

I laid it all out clearly. “The entire plan was for me to rescue her while Lucian’s men killed you.”

Sable’s hands trembled slightly as the full picture emerged.

“Blair and Lucian have been working together for a long time. Their target was you.” I clenched my jaw. “Blair wanted me. Lucian wanted revenge against me. So they orchestrated this series of ‘accidents,’ ultimately hoping we’d both be destroyed.”

The silence that followed was deafening. Sable stared at the evidence, her expression shifting from shock to understanding to guilt.

“So you met her… really to protect me?” Her voice was barely audible.

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

“Caelan…” Her eyes welled with tears. “I almost believed her lies.”

She looked up at me, anguish written across her face. “Why did you bear this alone? Why didn’t you tell me the truth sooner?”

Her voice broke. If I had believed her, if I had really left you…” She choked back a sob. “I almost became an accomplice in her plan.

Suddenly, she covered her face with both hands and began to sob uncontrollably. “Caelan, I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”

Her shoulders shook with each sob. How could I not trust you?’

“I should have known you would never betray me, she cried. I even asked you to reject me… I was so stupid!”

I immediately moved forward and wrapped my arms around her trembling form. This isn’t your fault, baby.”

I held her tightly against my chest. “Blair’s scheme was too clever. Anyone who saw those photos would have misunderstood.”

Gently stroking her back, I murmured, ‘I should have told you about my plan beforehand. I didn’t think it through.”

Sable suddenly broke free from my embrace. With unexpected force, she began pounding her fists against my chest. “It’s all your fault! You big jerk! You should have told me about this plan in advance! I wouldn’t have interfered! You just didn’t trust me! You had to go alone!”

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Chapter 125

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Each accusation was punctuated with another punch. “Do you think you’re Spider-Man? Iron Man? Or Captain America?! You just love playing hero, don’t you?! And what happened? You still got drugged!! Did you ever think that if you had brought me along, this might not have happened?!!”

I absorbed her blows with a smile, affection warming my chest despite her anger. “Alright, alright. Next time I’ll listen to you. Looks like you need a side job-as my personal commander. How does that sound?”

Sable continued hitting me, her punches lacking real force now. I caught her wrists in one quick motion and pulled her close, planting a swift kiss on her lips.

She jerked back, vigorously wiping her mouth. “You kissed Blair. You can’t kiss me anymore.”

“I was unconscious, I protested, genuinely hurt. “I didn’t want to. She forced me!”

Sable’s face remained stubborn. “No means no.”

I stood up and walked to the bathroom, making a show of brushing my teeth-ten times in a row. I didn’t stop there, following up with alcohol wipes to disinfect my lips and a series of increasingly ridiculous cleansing rituals.

Despite herself, Sable’s stern expression cracked. A reluctant smile tugged at her lips, growing into a genuine laugh.

The sound was like music after the tension we’d endured. I moved toward her, hesitant but hopeful. This time when I pulled her close, she didn’t resist. Our lips met in a deep kiss.

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Sable’s POV

Caelan and I ended our passionate kiss, our foreheads resting against each other as our breath mingled in the space between us.

*Finally, my Sabi has come back to me,” he whispered, his thumb tracing my cheekbone.

I pushed against his chest playfully, blinking up at him with a small smile. “Just so you know, you’ve earned yourself two more

enemies.”

Caelan raised an eyebrow, amusement dancing in his eyes. “Only two? I expected a longer list.”

I counted on my fingers, enjoying the lightness between us. “Scarlett called me after seeing those photos. She was furious.”

“She threatened to come personally beat you up if I didn’t dump you immediately.” I couldn’t keep the hint of laughter from my

voice.

Caelan’s expression softened. “Even if she did, I wouldn’t blame her. If I ever betrayed you, I wouldn’t forgive myself either.”

“Smooth talker.” I rolled my eyes. “If you did betray me, exactly how would you punish yourself? So many men make promises of fidelity at the altar, but that doesn’t stop them from cheating with multiple women.”

“I’m serious, Sabi.” Caelan took my hand. “If I ever betrayed you, I’d personally hand you a silver knife coated with the highest concentration of Wolfsbane poison. You could drive it straight into my heart yourself.”

“Really? That sounds tempting.” I bit my lip to stop from laughing.

In response, Caelan’s fingers found my waist, tickling me mercilessly. I squirmed and giggled, trying to escape his grasp.

“And my father…” I managed between laughs, finally surrendering. “He was already against us continuing our relationship, but today he was absolutely livid. I’m pretty sure if he only had one nostril instead of two, he might have died from anger.”

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Chapter 125

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Caelan sighed, reaching into his pocket to pull out his phone. He unlocked it and handed it to me. “I’ve already released an official

statement.

I took the phone, my eyes scanning the text on the screen. The words were carefully crafted, clearing my name while exposing Blair’s manipulation.

“Edward has already organized a team to remove all negative comments and slanderous posts,” Caelan said, taking back his phone. His finger slid across the screen as he showed me different social media platforms. “See? Almost all major platforms have been

handled.”

His jaw tightened. “I won’t let anyone use such despicable tactics to harm your reputation.”

“My dad and Scarlett have probably seen it by now,” I said. “Hopefully that’ll calm them down. I should call them later.”

Caelan nodded, then dialed Edward’s number.

“Edward, release the video evidence of Blair drugging me immediately. Process it carefully to ensure there are no… inappropriate scenes of me.”

He paced as he spoke, his free hand clenching and unclenching. Focus on her deliberate drugging and the setup. Make sure everyone knows the truth.”

A pause. “Yes, now. I don’t want Sable’s reputation damaged for one more second.”