Jordyn’s POV Opened the door to my house.“Cassandra, I’m home,” I instinctively called out. There was no response. I realized with a frown she wasn’t there.This wasn’t the first time I’d done this. Truth be told, I called out her name every time I opened that damned door. It was a habit. The first few times had been the roughest. I’d waited for her to greet me at the door, a smile on her face. I’d become used to her taking my coat and dropping me keys into the bowl by the door. Then she’d gently kiss me on the cheek and welcome me home. I’d stood in the doorway like an idiot, waiting for her to come and greet me. Of course, she hadn’t.Because Cassandra was gone.It felt like a sucker punch to the stomach. We were officially divorced now. She’d never greet me at the door again. She’d never take my coat and ask me how my day was. I would never see my wife, no – my EX-wife – in this house again.All traces of her were gone. Her dresser drawers were empty. Her favorite coffee mug wasn’
Jordyn’s POVI reached for a napkin to wipe the wine from my chin. When I looked up, Ellie was glaring at me, her hands on her hips. I let her words sink in, not knowing what to make of them.“You don’t want to pick a wedding date?” she asked, scowling.“I…it’s just that…” I stammered.A wedding date? It was too soon. I was momentarily at a complete loss for words. I’d literally JUST divorced Cassandra. The ink had barely dried on the divorce papers. It was too soon. I wasn’t ready to jump into another marriage. Not yet.Plus, I was worried about Ellie’s mental state. Sometimes she seemed…unstable. I was worried it was going to get worse. She hadn’t been like this before the accident. Maybe the accident had tampered with her brain chemistry. I felt like she needed professional help to address her condition. I’d even started looking for a good psychiatrist. I hadn’t broached the subject with her yet, though.“Jordyn,” she said, her eyes still locked on me. “You are planning on marrying
Cassandra’s POVOur assistant burst into the meeting room, her arms piled high with bags of sandwiches for lunch. We’d been in the boardroom all morning, brainstorming ideas for our upcoming fashion line with several designers: Maggie, Lisa, and Brin. We had yet to determine the actual action plan for the clothing line, so we’d ordered in lunch to keep working.“Okay, so we know the theme: “The Power of Women,” Brin said, unwrapping a sandwich. “And we know we want something that really stands out. Something different. But what?”I unwrapped a chicken salad sandwich and bit into it thoughtfully. We were lucky to have these creative designers here with us to brainstorm. Stella and I had been stuck on this for days. No matter what we came up with, it just didn’t seem right. We had to lean into the theme and come up with something that would reflect it.“I still think we need something bold,” Lisa mused. “I’m thinking primary colors. Bright. Something that represents resilience. Because
Cassandra’s POV We reviewed the presentation details on the way to the meeting. We were feeling pretty confident. It was a great proposal. It benefited both our companies and we believed in our idea.At Jordyn’s office, a receptionist led us directly into the boardroom. Jordyn and the company’s project director were already waiting for us. My stomach did a weird flip flop when I saw Jordyn. It was weird. We’d once shared a bed and now we were just business associates.I realized it would take some time getting used to.“Ladies,” Jordyn said, nodding at us. He introduced us to the project director and then gave Stella the floor. I sat in my chair, my pencil perched above a notepad, just like an assistant would sit.Jordyn still didn’t know my real identity and I wasn’t ready to reveal it yet. So for all intents and purposes, I wasn’t Stella’s partner in this meeting. I was just her personal assistant.Stella went through the proposal. She explained our concept of a clothing line with
Cassandra’s POVStella and Jordyn’s project manager left the board room, leaving Jordyn and I alone. “What is it, Cassandra?” Jordyn asked, concern in his eyes. “Is everything okay?”I hesitated, wondering how much I should tell him. I wasn’t even sure if Ellie was actually cheating on Jordyn, although she threatened me, warning me not to say anything, so it sure seemed like it.But still.Was this really my place? Was I really the one who should be telling Jordyn that his future wife might be a cheating whore? I was worried that it might affect our collaboration, yes. If Ellie was feeding her little boy toy from Sterling Silver information about Jordyn’s company, it could have negative consequences for Jordyn’s company, and in turn, for ours.That wasn’t my only concern, though. I felt bad for Jordyn. Sure, he’d done the exact same thing to me, and it had hurt like hell. And for awhile, I’d really hated him. I’d have given anything to hurt him the way he hurt me.But I didn’t hate
Cassandra’s POV I could tell by Jordyn’s expression that he genuinely had no clue about Ellie’s engagement dress. Heck, he didn’t even seem to know about the engagement, let alone the dress!This surprised me. I honestly believed that Jordyn had deep feelings for Ellie. Ellie was his first love. It seemed natural to me that marriage was the next step.“I had no idea she ordered a dress. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I think I want to marry her, it’s just…” Jordyn started, but I held up my hand to stop him.What was he doing? Did he really think I wanted to stand here and listen to him confide in me? About his wavering feelings for Ellie? I wanted to remind him that he’d cheated on me with her. He’d shattered my heart in a hundred pieces with his betrayal. If he didn’t intend on marrying Ellie, then what had all this been for?I wished I hadn’t tried to help. I regretted this entire conversation. I had thought I was the right thing to do, to let him know that maybe Ellie couldn’t be
Cassandra’s POVI stood frozen in spot. It was pitch-black in the elevator. I couldn’t see a thing. My heart started racing.‘Don’t panic,’ I told myself. ‘Stay calm.’But my breathing quickened as I realized that the elevator must have broken down. It wasn’t moving.I reached into my purse, fumbling in the darkness for my phone. I pulled things out: a lipstick, a powder compact, a small notebook. I tossed them on to the ground. Finally, my hand found it and I pulled it out.“It’s going to be okay,” I said out loud. “You can phone Jordyn. He’s in the building and he can find someone to help you.”But as I looked at my phone, I saw there were no bars. Which meant there was no signal.How could there be no signal?“No no no,” I said as my hands started shaking. My mind filled with awful thoughts. What if the elevator cables were defective and the elevator plunged to the bottom? What floor was I on? How far up?What if there wasn’t enough air in there and I ran out of breath? My knees w
Cassandra’s POV“HELP!” I cried out immediately. “Please, help me! I’m trapped in the elevator. It’s dark and I’m alone.”“It’s okay,” the voice said. It was muffled through the door. I ran to the door.“Get me out!” I cried out, my voice high and frantic.“You need to stay calm,” the voice reassured. “We’re going to get you out of there.”“I don’t have enough air,” I said, breathing heavily.“There’s more than enough air. Take a deep breath. And please back away from the door. We’re working on it. You’ll be out soon. I promise.”Relief flooded through me. They knew I was in here! They were working on getting me out! I thought for a moment that I recognized the voice. But it was faint through the door.“Are you away from the door?” the voice asked.I did as I was asked and backed away from the door.“Yes,” I called out.“Good. Stay towards the back of the elevator, okay?”“Okay,” I said.I took a deep breath and bit my lip. I already felt a bit calmer. But I still hated being trapped
Dillon’s POVI was surprised that the girls didn’t want to swim with the sharks. As soon as I heard about the excursion, I signed us all up, thinking it would be a fun adventure. But clearly, the girls had other plans.“Don’t worry about it,” Cameron told me as we got to the cove. “This isn’t their sort of thing. No big deal. I’m super excited to see some sharks.”I shrugged.I guess Cam was right. I mean, I was trying to impress Cassandra at every turn, but I should have known this wasn’t something the girls would appreciate.Or want to do at all.I was glad Cameron did though. Because honestly, I really wanted to swim with the sharks.We saw a total of two sharks. Tiny sharks. Like baby ones. It was a total let down.“That’s it?” I asked the tour guide when he told us it was time to go back. “I feel like this was advertised as something it’s not.”“I don’t control the sharks,” he shrugged. “Sometimes they’re here, sometimes they’re not. At least you some though.”“I guess,” I shrugge
Cassandra’s POV Snorkeling.That was Dillon’s big surprise of the day.I had to admit, I was a little hesitant at first. I wasn’t the strongest swimmer, and I felt ridiculous with snorkel and mask on my face. I didn’t even really like fish to be honest. But we were with a guide who specialized in this sort of thing and he assured us it would be a blast.Plus, Dillon was so excited. He was chatting away with Cam about all sorts of different fish. So, I decided to be positive and embrace the experience.The snorkeling was within walking distance of the resort. There was a special area where, apparently, an abundance of sea life made a daily appearance.I tried to put on my mask, but my air pipe thingy kept pointing downward instead of up.“Here, let me,” Dillon chuckled, his green eyes sparkling. He took the mask off my face and then fixed it. He put it back on me. It smushed my cheeks.“Better?” he asked, taking me by the shoulders.I swooned.“Uh huh,” I said through my mask, giving h
Cassandra’s POVI slept like a log. Even though I hadn’t wanted the night to end, I was exhausted from the long day. I didn’t even realize how tired I was until I climbed into bed. The down comforter and high-thread count sheets beckoned me to sleep.I woke up to the early morning sun flooding through our massive windows. For a moment, I forgot where I was. But then I looked out at the ocean.Right. I was in Bora Bora.Bits and pieces of the night before flashed through my mind. Our wonderful dinner, the walk on the beach. The feel of Dillon’s fingers on my cheek as he brushed the hair off my cheek. Then the karaoke bar and his song.“I plan on touching you plenty.”I bolted upright.I was in love with Dillon. And he had flirted with me. Stella had cut our conversation on the beach short, but I was pretty convinced at this point that Dillon felt the same way about me. I smiled languidly to myself and stretched my arms over my head.Last night, I’d been a little worried that maybe Dillo
Cassandra’s POVDillon finished the song to raucous applause. Cameron and Stella leapt to their feet. I stayed fixed in my chair, stunned by the realization I’d just had.I was in love Dillon. The words swam through my mind. I mean, I knew that I had feelings for him. Intense, deep feelings. And I knew that I was very sexually attracted to him. I also knew that I cared for him very deeply. And yes, I knew I loved him. When he’d been shot and I’d sat with him in the back of the ambulance, my heart had ached thinking I might lose him. I’d been a complete and utter nervous wreck at the hospital, waiting to see if he would live or die.So of course I loved him.I just hadn’t realized I was IN love with him.Dillon came back to the table, his cheeks flushed, a broad smile on his face.“Well?” he asked, looking at me. “What did you think? Did I do your favorite song justice?”That was an understatement. His voice echoed through my mind, the look in his eyes as he sang. I suddenly felt very
Cassandra’s POVI felt like we’d taken a plane ride and been dropped in a completely different universe. In what world did Dillon voluntarily take a microphone and sing? I watched him whisper to the emcee, a mischievous smile on his face.Had Dillon been replaced by some sort of karaoke-singing doppelganger? I mean, Stella singing was one thing. She loved the limelight and she feared nothing.But Dillon?“Dillon sings?” Stella asked, as shocked as I was.“Apparently,” I told her.“This is vacation Dillon,” Cameron nodded. “Men are different on vacation. Didn’t you know that?”“Okay, so…this song goes out to a very special person,” Dillon said. “I won’t say her name because that would embarrass her. But…she’s sitting right there.”He pointed right at me. I felt my cheeks flush.What the hell was he doing?“Awww, he’s singing to you,” Stella said, raising her hand to her heart. “That’s so sweet.”Was it? Honestly, I wasn’t so sure. I felt everyone turn and look at me. But thankfully, the
Cassandra’s POVCameron was, in fact, saving us a table right up at the front. Not that he needed to. The place was a veritable ghost town. There were maybe ten other guests, spread out over the large lounge. Stella did not seem the least bit dissuaded by this though. She pranced right through the bar and directly up to the front to put in her request.“She’s pretty serious about her karaoke,” Dillon whispered in my ear as we took our seats.“Seems so,” I laughed.“I ordered drinks,” Cameron said, motioning at the wide array of drinks sitting on the table in front of us. There were beers, pina coladas, and wine. I reached for a frothy pina colada and took a large sip.“Delicious,” I said.Someone was wailing away on the microphone, singing some sort of emotionally charged ballad. It sounded like nails on a chalkboard.“Okay, I’m next,” Stella said as she rushed over to our table. “I got in right away.” I wasn’t surprised. The bar was pretty much empty, but she looked so excited, I didn
Cassandra’s POV“What the?”Stella ran across the sand, barefoot, her skirt blowing in the wind. Well, running was a bit of a kind word for what she was doing. She was more like stumbling in an awkward zig-zagging way.“God, I’ve searched half the hotel looking for you,” she said, out of breath. “What are you doing all the way over here?”She bent over, breathing hard.“Stella, what it is? Is something wrong?” I asked. She lifted a finger in the air to tell me to wait. She was clearly trying to catch her breath.There bloody well BETTER be something wrong, I thought to myself. She had just interrupted what might very well have been THE most romantic moment of my life.“No,” she shook her head. “Nothing’s wrong. But I had to find you. Cassandra, they have KARAOKE! In the lounge. Right NOW!”“What?” I blinked, unable to process what she was saying.“It’s true! Cameron and I were looking over the resort’s activities in a brochure in our room. And we saw it. Fricking Karaoke? Can you belie
Cassandra’s POV:Dillon’s hand felt warm in mine, and the moment our skin touched, I felt a fire burn deep within me. Dillon and I had spent a ton of time together, but we never really touched, not like this. I know it was just hand holding, but there was something about it that felt so intimate. I couldn’t believe we’d ever actually held hands before.There weren’t very many people on the beach, since it was quite late at this point. I felt like I was in a daze. Had it really only been that morning that I’d woken up in my own bed? It had been an endless day, from the private jet to the hotel lobby, to lounging around with Stella all afternoon at our plunge pool.I paused, and slipped off my sandals.“I want to feel the sand between my toes,” I said, slinging them over my shoulder and smiling. Dillon chuckled. Then I reached for his hand again and we strolled along the beach.The moon was high in the sky, just over half full. There was no light pollution like there was in the city, jus
Dillon’s POVWe sat out on the beach at sunset, the four of us, at a private table I’d arranged, nibbling on appetizers.I think the girls were still in shock, which was fine by me. Cassandra’s reaction was everything I’d been hoping for. I’d clocked a lot of hours planning this trip, and I thought very carefully about every detail, right down to the private plane and the bungalows. Cassandra had mentioned once that she dreamed of going to Bora Bora. We’d been watching a TV show that featured tropical locations, and she’d sighed heavily when we saw Bora Bora.“Can you imagine,” she’d said, dreamily. “What a place. I’d love to go there, someday.” I don’t know if she remembered telling me that, but I did. So when I decided to go on this vacation, I knew right away this was where we’d be going. From there, I worked with a hotel concierge to plan a wide assortment of activities. The girls honestly had no idea what was in store for them. Every day would be a new adventure, and we were goi