“So what do you think, Cassian?”
I tilted my head toward him.
“Come on, we’re all just having fun here. Nobody’s trying to be mean. Don’t kill the vibe, alright–you used to go along with this stuff before.”
The irritation was written all over his face.
There it was again–me being “difficult.”
I stood up, dumped my entire drink over his head, then smashed the glass into the center of the table.
The entire room went dead fucking silent. Even Cassian looked stunned.
I started walking toward the door.
Cassian lunged forward and grabbed my wrist.
“What the hell is wrong with you?! It’s just a stupid game–why are you being such a buzzkill?”
I yanked my arm free.
“Cassian, about the wedding next month… forget it. We’re done.”
He actually laughed like I’d told the funniest joke in the world.
“Seriously? You?! With that belly? Who the fuck else is gonna want dirty bitch like you?”
I smiled and walked straight out of that room.
Cassian chased after me, blocking my path.
“Aurora, cut the drama, okay? I can let all this slide. The wedding’s still on like I promised. Just… stop being such a pain in the ass.”
I stared at him with nothing but cold indifference.
This pathetic man in front of me–I felt absolutely nothing. No heartbreak, no love, nothing.
23:51
Ten Years of My First i
Chapter 4
Cassian yanked me into a hug, smashing my face against his chest.
“Look, I promised Melody one last trip–just a month in Bali before the wedding. Think of it like… closure or whatever. You stay home, rest up, take care of yourself. We can forget about tonight–you don’t need to feel bad or apologize anymore.”
I could hear his heartbeat pounding.
Had this heart ever actually beaten for me? How many other women had lived in his heart?
I didn’t answer, but Cassian took my silence as agreement.
He patted my head like I was his pet dog and jogged back to his asshole friends.
I watched him go, and actually smiled.
Bali. The exact place I’d picked for our honeymoon.
Well, Cassian, you’re all hers now.
Back home, I started packing.
Didn’t take a single piece of clothing he’d bought me–it was all Melody’s style anyway.
Ten years together, and he never once cared what I liked or wanted.
I was always just his Melody substitute.
I grabbed a few of my own things.
That’s all it took to pack up a decade–a few clothes and a wasted love.
དབང་རྩ་ཁང་ན་ང་ ་
Ten years of my life reduced to what fits in one fucking carry–on.
I took one last look around the place I’d called home and walked out without a backward glance.
While I was being wheeled into surgery, Cassian was turning off his phone.
When they injected the anesthesia, Cassian and Melody were boarding their plane.
When the cold instruments went inside me, my heart nearly stopped.
The physical pain was nothing compared to the heart.
23:51
Chapter 4
Cassian, I’ll remember this pain forever.
Right before I went under, I tried to feel my baby moving one last time.
Like waking up from a dream–when I opened my eyes, everything was gone.
Just endless, empty darkness.
I pressed my hand to my flat stomach. Nothing there anymore.
I checked my phone with shaking fingers.
First thing that popped up was Melody’s Instagram story.
Her and Cassian wrapped around each other on some Bali beach.
After nearly a month in the hospital, two texts came in at the exact same time.
My agent: “Aurora, how the hell did you do it? You paid back the three million already so quickly?!”
Cassian: “Coming home tomorrow babe! How’s wedding planning going? You pick out your dress yet? Can’t wait to see you!”
