Dillon’s POV My heart hurt for Stella, it really did. Cameron stopped by that night and gave me the awful news. He was really worked up. I did my best to calm him down, reminding him that we didn’t have all the facts yet. He called Cassandra and said she was on her way home. I took him home that night. He was too rattled to drive. They were both too rattled to do anything, so I kept going back and forth between my house and theirs. I totally forgot that Laura and I had plans. Apparently she overheard one of my conversations to Cameron and put two and two together. Later that day, she showed up at Cam and Stella’s with a ton of information, including the name of a fabulous oncologist. I hadn’t expected her to show up, but Stella seemed really happy to see her. Not as happy as she was to see Cassandra though. I knew the girls needed their own time alone. They could talk about things that they couldn’t talk about in front of us me
Cassandra’s POV The results were in. Stella had Stage 4 breast cancer. It was the worst possible news we could have hoped for. It was aggressive, and she needed a double mastectomy. She also had to start chemo right away. I felt the world fall out from under me. I just kept telling myself that it wasn’t happening, that it couldn’t be. I tried to stay strong for Stella, but as soon as I was away from her, I became an absolute wreck. Cancer has a way of putting things into perspective. Nothing mattered anymore. Not my stupid trip to the palace. Not our expansion. Not whatever was going on between Dillon and Laura. The only thing that mattered was Stella. Laura hooked us up with a fabulous private oncologist. I insisted on paying for every penny. This was Stella’s life on the line and there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do to help her. Of course, the wedding came up one night when we were sitting outside
Cassandra’s POV I released Stella. “Tell me everything,” I said. “What are these tests you need? What did the doctor say? How long have you known.” Stella held up her hand. “Let’s go inside,” she said. I studied her face. She looked exhausted, with messy hair and dark circles under her eyes. But she didn’t look ‘sick’. I had an image in my head of what someone with cancer looked like. Frail, with sunken chair. Hair gone from chemo. Other than looking tired, Stella looked perfectly fine. “Cam put on some coffee and Dillon ran out to get food,” Stella said. It was still pretty early in the morning, since Jordyn and I had taken the red eye overnight flight back. It was only then that I realized it was the middle of the night. We were nine hours behind Paris time. “Okay,” I said. I went to follow her inside. “Jordyn?” Stella asked. We turned around to see Jordyn heading back to t
Cassandra’s POV The plane wouldn’t fly fast enough. I wished that I had a teleport wand. I wished I were a genie and I could just make a wish and be back home with Stella. Jordyn had got us on the red eye home. He’d had to bargain with some other people to do it, and offer them four times the amount their flight was worth, but he’d done. He was a rock, Jordyn. A pillar of strength. I wasn’t thinking clearly, so I was grateful to have him by my side. The only thing I could think about was Stella. Why hadn’t she told me? Why hadn’t she told anyone? I texted Dillon at the airport to let him know we were on our way home. “You heard about Stella then,” he replied. I answered him with a simple: “Yes.” “I’ll see you soon,” he texted back.That was it. Those were the only words we exchanged. Dillon had left several messages on Jordyn’s phone, telling him to call back as soon as he could, it was urgent.I
Cassandra’s POV At first, I couldn’t make sense of what he was saying. It sounded like a foreign language. Cancer? What cancer? What was he talking about? An icy cold feeling took hold of me. I felt like I couldn’t swallow. My chest tightened as I gripped the phone. I felt like I was in a bad dream, like any moment I’d wake up. What was he saying? It wasn’t making any sense. But as Cameron continued to talk, his voice calm and steady, his words settled in on me. It was real. Stella was sick. “She went in for a routine checkup. They found a lump,” Cameron said. “She didn’t think it was serious at first, so she didn’t say anything. They did an autopsy. It’s a tumor. They need to go and take out a piece of it. But it sounds bad, Cass. Really bad. She’s a wreck.” I started firing off questions, but Cameron cut me off. “You don’t need to rush home or anythin
Cassandra’s POV I sat next to Jordyn in the limo. We were on our way back to Paris. Jordyn and I had stayed up most of the night talking. I’d cried a lot. I didn’t understand why I’d done what I did. Jordyn was calm and comforting, just as I’d known he would be. We talked through it all and he reminded me that I hadn’t technically cheated on Dillon. It didn’t feel that way though. I felt guilty as hell. Jordyn assured me that everything would be fine. He wouldn’t say a word to Dillon. “It was just a one off,” he told me. “These things happen. Put it behind you, Cass. Move forward. Dillon loves you and you have so many amazing things happening in your life. Don’t let one small mistake ruin everything.” I read between his lines. He didn’t think I should tell Dillon. And I guess I sort of agreed. I mean, what would I say. That this totally handsome son of a Dutchess had swept me off my feet and I’d almost kissed him? That wouldn’t g