Chapter 2

James had married me only to stop me from interfering with Morgan, so that Morgan and Cassandra could be together.

It was ridiculous. Years of what I had believed was a happy marriage had been nothing but an illusion.

Looking down at the pastries in my hands, I suddenly lost all appetite. "I'm not hungry."

Just as I was about to set them aside, James reached out to stop me. "What's wrong, darling? Are you upset because I saved Cassandra before you that day? I'm sorry. I truly made a mistake. I didn't realize it at the time. That's why I went for her first."

James's apology sounded sincere, but all I felt was a hollow ache.

A mistake? Really?

Even if he had saved the wrong person, what about that kiss underwater with Cassandra? Was that a mistake too?

I realized I had been deceiving myself for far too long.

I forced a bitter smile. "Yeah, I understand."

Thinking he had soothed me, James relaxed and said gently, "What do you want to eat? I'll have the chef make it for you."

He pulled out his phone to call the chef, but then his expression shifted slightly as if he had noticed something. "Darling, something urgent came up at work. I'll come back later. Tell my assistant what you want, and he'll bring it to you."

Before I could protest, he left in a rush.

The moment he was gone, Cassandra sent me a message. "Follow him. There's a surprise for you!"

My subconscious screamed that going would only lead to heartbreak, yet I couldn't resist and took a cab to follow him.

As expected, James went straight to Cassandra.

The door wasn't fully closed, and I could see everything through the crack.

On the couch, James held Cassandra's hand delicately. She had a tiny cut, but he looked like it hurt him more than her. "How could something as simple as cutting an apple end up hurting you?"

He fetched a first-aid kit, carefully cleaned and bandaged the cut, and even started peeling an apple for her. "What would you do without me?" he said helplessly.

Those were the same words he had always said to me, but now they were meant for Cassandra.

Even knowing that our marriage had been a lie, watching him treat someone else with such tenderness made my chest tighten painfully.

Cassandra pulled her hand back, pretending to resist. "James, Elsa is your wife. You shouldn't be taking care of me. She deserves your love more than I do…"

James held her hand firmly. "She'll never find out. I've kept it a secret all these years. I just want to protect you and spend more time with you… By the way, I got those Ashville pastries you wanted—your favorite, chocolate-filled."

He produced an elegant gift box, packed full of pastries.

My eyes stung.

He had bought two sets. Cassandra's was in the fancy gift box, while mine had come in a plain takeout container. Clearly, mine had been an afterthought.

In his heart, I wasn't even a replacement for Cassandra—maybe not even that.

Before I could fully process it, James cupped Cassandra's face and leaned in to kiss her. She initially pretended to resist, but gradually gave in, and they kissed with a passion that refused to break.