2: Hating whatever it is

Arielle's POV

"Shit," I whispered when the light morning sun spilled into my room.

I felt very restless and extremely fatigued.

What could be the reason? I didn't know either, but I felt extremely bothered.

Wanting the best for my mother was important to me, but how could she do this to us?

She didn't even dare to explain to me where she had met Cassian when Raya left!

Was she dating him all this time? If so, then what was her reason for hiding their relationship?

Was she scared of our reaction after how we had supported her throughout the years?

We urged her to move on and be happy, even in love. We understood how she loved our father with all her heart, but sadly he was gone, and that was something that could never be undone.

I walked down the stairs with a sigh, gently tugging on my oversized T-shirt that brushed the tops of my bare thighs. I instantly paused halfway, my hands clutching the railing when I heard a deep male voice coming from the kitchen below.

Cassian.

I couldn’t see him from where I was, but I could hear the way he spoke—low, smooth, with a deliberate sort of calm, which was followed by my mother’s laughter, light and careless, as if it were just another normal morning for them.

"Damn it," I muttered to myself because it wasn’t for me. Not with him in the house.

I walked closer, silently calculating each step I took in my mind to keep calm as my heart's thudding became rapid. My eyes were fixed on the steps as I did my best to stabilize my breathing.

When I took the last step and looked up, my eyes instantly went to him.

Cassian stood with his back to me, his sleeves rolled halfway up his muscular arms, his dark slacks fitting him a little too well. As he reached for the coffee pot, I swallowed hard as I watched his forearm flex, revealing a faint shimmer of ink beneath his cuff.

I was sure it was a tattoo, but then again, it wouldn't even be.

"Just greet them both!" I scolded myself silently as I opened my mouth to do just that but stopped when he moved his free hand to my mother's waist and leaned in, whispering something into her ear with a smile that showed his dimple.

My breath was caught in my throat as I watched the scene in front of me unfold in a daze. I hated to admit it, but the man that Evelyn had brought home—the man who was now my supposed stepdad—had this aura around him that was impossible to ignore.

I didn’t mean to stare at them, but I did, and what was worse was that I couldn't even stop myself.

"Honey, she's waiting," he whispered, and that was enough to snap me out of my stupid daze.

He slowly turned and faced me with a raised eyebrow, then smirked.

His hair was slightly tousled, not gelled back like it was last night, and at that moment, all I could do was stare into his eyes, frozen in place.

"Arielle," Evelyn called.

I instantly shook my head slightly and then smiled at her warmly.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt you guys,” I blurted out as I took a few steps back.

“You didn’t,” came Cassian's simple response.

“But you should be careful sneaking around. You might find something… you weren’t ready to see,” he teased in a low voice that had an accent.

Was that a warning? Or was it the part I was supposed to laugh along with? Either way, he was right. If he was going to move in, then seeing such scenes or more intimate ones was going to be the new normal.

That thought alone made me feel uncomfortable.

I moved my hand to my chest, feeling a tightening sensation pull.

“I—I wasn’t sneaking around,” I answered in a low tone.

"Dear, stop teasing our daughter," Evelyn said playfully.

He chuckled softly, grabbed his coffee, and walked past me, his shoulder barely brushing mine.

I felt goosebumps against my skin as I heard his footsteps fade away.

I didn't know what it was, but I hated it all! I hated him being in our house.

"Arielle," Evelyn called softly.

"I only came for a cup of coffee because I couldn't sleep well last night. Is it wrong for me to do that?" I asked at the top of my voice.

"I hate this," I whispered without much thought and then gasped loudly, moving my hand to my lips.

No matter how annoyed I was at my mother, I made sure never to raise my voice or show my frustrations and annoyance.

She was looking at me with widened eyes and a pained expression on her face.

"Mom, I didn't mean it like that, I just—"

"It's fine, Ari. I never expected you to openly welcome him or love him. I know this might be hard to believe, but he is not here to replace your father. No matter what, he can never replace your father," she said strongly as I bit my lower lip and dropped my hand.

I wanted to ask her why she married him if that was true. She was also upset with me because there was never a day she called me by my nickname, only if she wanted to stress something.

"Cassian is an amazing man. With time, you will get to understand and see that for yourself. He wants what's best for this family, even if he teases you like he did earlier," she whispered.

I lowered my gaze to the ground, refusing to respond to her.

She moved closer and stood in front of me, kissing my head gently.

"I won't love you any less, Arielle. You and your sister are more important to me than anyone and anything in this world. I hope you realize that," she said softly, then pulled back and walked past me.

I turned and watched as she went upstairs.

Was I truly upset over the fact that Cassian was about to fill my father's spot? Or was it because I hated how he was teasing me?

I had no idea why, but all I knew was that I didn't like whatever was going on.

"Raya, why aren't you back yet?" I muttered to myself as I walked forward to grab an empty coffee mug .