Masuk•Cassie POV•"The little rabbit didn’t know what would happen next, but he trusted his gut that it would be good," I read softly as I closed the storybook and brushed my finger against Cara’s hair.Her lips curled into a smile. "Mommy, when will Daddy be back?"I tucked the strand obstructing her view as she lay on the bed, her little rabbit bunny clutched to her chest. "Sweetheart, your dad will be back tomorrow."Her eyes brightened with excitement and she shifted softly. "Can Daddy read a bedtime story to me tomorrow night? It’s been long since he read me a bedtime story."I took her little hand in mine, brushing my thumb against it. "Of course, my love. He will. I’ll let him know that you miss his deep storytelling voice.""Isn’t she a cutie, my little Cara," I mimicked Jerald’s manly voice and it made Cara chuckle. "Now sweetie, it’s time for you to go to bed. You have to go to school tomorrow.""Okay, Mommy," she muttered, and I watched as she closed her eyes. I stood up from th
•Cassie POV•“Promise me you won’t think about it again until Jerlad comes back,” Tamara said as we stepped out of the house and walked toward the gate where she would take a cab.“I don’t know if I can make that promise, Tammy,” I told her, pulling my hair into a messy ponytail with the band on my wrist. “My mind just keeps going back to it, thinking if it’s true or not.”Tamara gave me a soft look and took my hand. “I know. But I’m telling you, it can’t be true unless Jerlad has a twin brother he forgot to tell us about. And if he does, I will personally drag that twin to you and ask him why he is ruining your peace.”A small laugh slipped out of me before I could stop it.She squeezed my hand. “See? That’s the smile I like. Not that ‘I’m about to cry and pretend I’m not’ smile you’ve been wearing since morning.”I tried to roll my eyes, but she was right.The cab stopped in front of us. Tamara pulled me into a tight hug, rocking us side to side. “Don’t let your brain run a marathon
•Scott POV•I drove down the road, my heart beating so fast it almost matched my speed. I couldn’t believe I almost got into an accident. The way the driver had tried to hit my car clearly showed he was sending a warning.I shoved my hand through my hair and gripped the steering wheel with the other, steadying my breathing. I thought about going to the cops to report the incident, but with the recent claims and my time in jail, I didn’t think they would take me serious.I turned into the nearest lane to Charles’s house as I dialed his number. He picked on the second ring, his voice calm as he spoke.“Hey Scott.”“Are you at home?” I asked hastily, trying to catch my breath.“Yes. What happened? You sound like you’ve been chased by a cheetah for hours,” he said with a slight chuckle.“I’m heading to your house now,” I muttered, ignoring his teasing as I looked through the rearview mirror to make sure I wasn’t being followed.“Okay, can you get some pretzels when you’re coming?” Charles
•Cassie POV•I rested my back on the lounge chair, feeling the cool breeze against my skin. I would have relished it if my mind wasn’t spiraling through the photos that were sent to me and Jerald’s calm behavior.I took in a deep breath, holding it for a while, hoping it would lessen the ache in my chest and head, but it only made it worse.“Jerald can’t be cheating on me,” I mumbled to myself, as if saying it more than once would make it sound real. “He can’t.” I shook my head. “I can’t go through such heartbreak again. I just can’t.”I stayed like that for a while until I heard the sound of footsteps rushing towards me. That was when I lifted from the chair a little to see who it was.My gaze fell on Tamara as she hurried to meet me. She had this excited and worried look on her face. “So tell me, what happened?” she asked, throwing her bag onto the other lounge chair next to the one she had dropped on. “Did Scott do something again to ruin your happiness?”I shook my head and sat up
•Cassie POV•A knock on the door pulled me out of sleep, and I slowly opened my eyes, staring at it for a few seconds before I was fully awake. My head felt heavy, and my body didn’t want to move.The door creaked open gently and Ava stepped in, her hand still resting on the doorknob. “Sorry for waking you up from sleep, ma’am,” she said softly.I pushed myself up, brushing my hair away from my face and tucking it behind my ears. “You did wake me up, but it’s fine,” I mumbled, though the dull ache in my head reminded me that it wasn’t really fine. I had drunk too much the previous night, and the headache was the price for it. But that wasn’t even the worst part. The moment my mind became clear, the picture flashed in my head again, followed by the memory of another lady answering Jerald’s call.“So sorry,” Ava repeated. “Mrs. Angela was worried that you didn’t come down for dinner, and she asked me to check on you since breakfast is ready.”“I’ll be down soon,” I replied, my eyes drif
•Scott POV•I lifted my hand to check the time on the watch on my wrist. It had been five minutes past the time Maria and I planned to meet, which made me wonder if she was just playing me when she called and said she wanted us to meet up.“What would you like to order, sir?” the waitress asked as she cleared the table Cassie and Tamara had left their food on.“Anything on your list of delicacies?” I asked.She looked at me with a confused stare before her eyes dropped to the menu on the table.“Oh, there’s a menu. Sorry, I didn’t see it at first,” I muttered, picking it up. My eyes ran through the list without really reading anything. “I’ll have the grilled chicken and fries… and a glass of orange juice.”She wrote it down, nodded, and walked away with the tray balanced on her arm.Once she was gone, I rested my back against the chair, my gaze fixed on the chair opposite me as if Cassie was still sitting there, staring at me with that curious, angry look that somehow calmed my nerves







