Chapter 6

James looked at me with a bright, indulgent smile. "It's only a dress. If my wife asked for the moon, I'd still find a way to give it to her."

He handed me the dress and urged me to try it on.

That was when Cassandra happened to walk into the boutique as well.

The moment James saw her, his fingers tightened until his knuckles turned pale, and his gaze drifted instinctively toward the entrance.

They had been this obvious all along. Why was I only seeing it now?

Looking back, the signs had been there for a long time.

At every family dinner, James's eyes lingered on Cassandra more than they ever did on me.

Once, when Morgan was away on a business trip, Cassandra stayed at our place.

A thunderstorm broke out that evening. James sprang out of bed instantly and rushed straight to Cassandra's room. He covered her ears, pulled her into his arms, and soothed her gently.

What he forgot was that I was afraid of thunder too. While he was with her, I spent the night awake, curled up alone in the dark.

James always cut my apples into little rabbits. Back then, I thought it was sweet. Later, I realized the truth. Cassandra liked them that way, and I was never the only one eating them. He always split the apples and gave her half.

I was nothing more than a convenient cover he used to disguise his feelings for Cassandra.

While I was lost in thought, Cassandra noticed the gown in James's hands and exclaimed in surprise, "It's so beautiful! Can I try it on?"

James took two steps back and placed the dress directly into my arms. "I'm afraid not, Cassie. I bought this gown especially for El."

Cassandra froze for a moment, then smiled. "I was only joking. You took it so seriously. I wouldn't go so far as to fight Elsa over a dress. Still, James, you and Morgan really are alike. Both of you dote on your wives in the same way."

She paused, then added lightly, "I won't disturb you two any longer. I'll go look around elsewhere."

With that, Cassie shot me a provocative look and walked away in her heels.

James didn't pull his eyes away until she was gone, and for a brief moment, reluctance showed plainly on his face.

When he noticed me watching him, he slipped back into his usual smile. "Wait for me downstairs. I'll go upstairs and have the staff wrap the gown for you."

He returned empty-handed. Before I could react, he said, "Darling, the assistant was clumsy and scratched the fabric while wrapping it. I couldn't let you wear something imperfect. Don't worry, I'll find something even more beautiful and expensive for you."

What a coincidence. Right after Cassandra praised the dress, something just happened to go wrong with it.

I understood James's intentions perfectly, but I simply looked at him in silence and said nothing.

After a long moment, I nodded. "As you wish."

It didn't matter anymore. I would be leaving soon anyway.

James's eyes flickered. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but before he could, his phone rang. A message had come in. There was no need to guess who it was from.

Sure enough, he immediately made an excuse and said he had something urgent to deal with.

This time, I didn't stop him either. I watched him walk away without a word.

The moment he turned his back, my own phone rang.

It was a call from the staff handling my staged death.