Chapter 344

[Cordelia]

"Before you ask again," she removes her scarf revealing her scarred face. "Yes, I am the real Suzanna Steele."

She lets that statement stand-alone, giving me a chance to accept and process my words.

"But..."

"Oh, the comb," she grinned. "Yes, I recognized it but the thing is...I wasn't sure if I could trust you. Magnus has a way of digging his claws into people, loyal people, and forcing them to behave against their better judgment. I needed to make sure you weren't under his sway. To be honest, part of me was not convinced at the time you fell over the edge of the boat."

"Fell," I snap. "You pushed."

The corners of her eyes crinkled, as she closed her eyes remorsefully. "It wasn't my intention. I was trying to startle you, not kill you. I needed to test you, but I'd never take a mother from her children," she looks down at the table sadly, "Nor a wife from her husband."

Her words sound sincere, but were her intentions that pure?

"Maybe if I tell you a bit more about who I a