I Must Do This For Me!

"You’re not going to change your mind, are you?" Rafael finally said, the fight draining from his tone.

Nikolai’s answer was quiet, but it was firm, not leaving room for negotiation. "No."

Silence stretched between them with neither of them willing to be the first to break it.

Rafael lifted his glass again, but the scotch tasted bitter now, as if it had been sitting in the sun too long. His jovial demeanor is gone with the wind.

"You know," Rafael finally said after a moment, "one day, you’re going to push someone too far with that cold logic of yours. And when that day comes…" He didn’t finish the sentence. Maybe he didn’t want to. He had already made his point clear.

Nikolai simply sat back, his expression passive, as if he had already accepted the price of his choices.

No one truly understands him. Simply... No... One!

*******

Meanwhile, in the hospital...

Cassie sat propped up in her bed, a pale blue blanket pulled over her lap.

The steady beep of the heart monitor was the only consistent sound... well, except for the pacing of a certain person.

Harlow had been at it for nearly twenty minutes. Back and forth... Back and forth.

His brows were knitted together, and his hands were flexing at his sides like he was trying to hold onto words he wasn’t sure he should say.

Cassie watched him for a while and tilted her head slightly with a sigh. "Harlow," she said finally, "enough of the pacing. You’re making me dizzy."

He stopped mid-step and turned sharply, his eyes locking on hers. "You dare to tell me that? Cass, it’s been over a week. Over a week of me trying to talk sense into you. Goodness, why are you so stubborn?"

Cassie raised an eyebrow. "About what?" She asked, although she knew what he was talking about.

"You don’t have to marry Nikolai," he snapped. "And you sure as hell don’t have to join the army. Both of those things are the last things you should be doing right now."

Cassie’s lips curved in a small smile... sad, but resolute. She reached out and took his hand, her fingers curling around his.

Harlow stiffened at the touch, and his jaw tightened, but he didn’t pull away.

"I need to do this, Har," Cassie said softly, but with a steel that caught him off guard. "Not just for me, but for my parents. For the inheritance Raymond stole from me. For everything he took... my name, my dignity, my future. And... for my child! I can’t take it all back by hiding here. Thus, I need Nikolai and every help he could give me."

"You think throwing yourself into Nikolai’s bed and the army is the answer?" Harlow’s tone was sharp, but there was a tremor underneath... fear.

Cassie’s gaze didn’t waver as she answered. "It’s not just about him. Or them! This is about survival. About becoming someone who can’t be pushed around anymore. Someone my child could have looked up to. It's becoming someone for myself."

At the mention of the child, Harlow’s expression faltered, pain flickering in his eyes. "You think the army will protect you? Cassie, it’ll chew you up. And Nikolai... he’s not—"

"Don’t." Cassie tightened her grip on his hand. "Don’t turn this into a list of all the reasons I should be afraid. I’ve been afraid long enough. I've been pushed around enough! I've cried enough! I've... I've... done more than enough." She whispered the last sentence.

Harlow searched her face, looking for hesitation, for some crack in her determination. But all he saw was raw resolve and unshakable.

"Please," Cassie added, her voice almost a whisper now. "Even if you don’t agree with me… just understand me."

Harlow exhaled slowly, dragging a hand down his face. "Cassie…"

But there was nothing left to say. The war in her eyes wasn’t one he could win.

He had known Cassie since high school. She had always been stubborn and whenever she made a decision, it would be hard to persuade her. If not, she wouldn't have married that scumbag, Raymond, despite all the warnings from her parents.

But was this decision going to be another of her mistakes?