5

Naomi pov

Before I could even process the shock…

Cassian grabbed my hand.

“Move.”

Gunfire rang out around us, but he didn’t flinch.

He shot down anyone who stepped in our path, his aim cold and merciless.

We weaved through the chaos of smoke, blood, and crumbling walls. The mansion was falling apart behind us. Screams echoed. Fire licked up the edges of the curtains.

“Stay close,” he barked, “Don’t stop for anything.”

We kept running. I didn’t know where we were going…only that I trusted him more than I trusted my own feet.

My dress was soaked. My body ached. But for the first time in five years…

I was running toward something that felt like freedom.

“Please… save Maria too.”

Cassian didn’t look at me at first…just kept scanning the hall, with his gun raised.

“The maid? The one that was bound on the floor?”

I nodded quickly, eyes wide. “Yes. Please.”

His jaw tightened, just for a second.

Then he nodded. “Okay. If she isn’t dead already, I’ll take her.”

He turned sharply, shouting an order to one of his men crouched behind a broken statue.

“Find the maid. Get her out. Now.”

The man gave a sharp nod and sprinted into the smoke.

Cassian grabbed my hand again, guiding me toward a side corridor. We ducked beneath fallen beams, stepping over bodies. My legs felt like they might give out at any second.

“Go with him,” he said, pushing me toward a man by the exit. “He’ll get you to safety.”

The man opened the black van door just as we reached it.

“Cassian…what about you?”

“I’ll meet you back at the house,” Cassian said, his voice steady.

He gave me a quick wink…like this was just another day.

Then he was gone.

The car door slammed shut behind me, locking out the noise.

Everything after that was a blur.

I barely noticed the roads, the turns, or the people around me. My hands trembled the whole ride.

And then the van pulled up in front of a mansion so massive, so breathtaking, I almost forgot how to breathe.

It was bigger than anything I had ever seen.

Even bigger than Don Eldon’s estate.

Black marble. Silver gates. Sprawling gardens lit with golden lights. It looked like something from another world.

The door opened, and someone offered their hand. I stepped out, slowly, still trying to understand what world I had landed in.

A tall woman with soft eyes met me at the steps.

“We’ve prepared a room for you to rest,” she said gently.

I blinked at her. “I’d rather wait for Cassian.”

“He’ll be fine,” she reassured. “Please, you must be tired. Are you sure you don’t want to sit?”

“No… I’m okay.”

I stood there in the hallway, unmoving.

And then the front door creaked open.

Cassian walked in, calmly like he hadn’t just walked through hell.

His black shirt was wrinkled, open at the collar. A faint cut trailed down his cheek. His eyes swept the room until they landed on me.

And just like that, I could breathe again.

“Thank you, Cassandra. You can go.”

He didn’t take his eyes off me as he spoke.

The woman bowed and left quietly, the soft click of the door behind her was the only sound in the room.

Then it was just us.

“Finally, you’re here with me again,” he said, taking a slow step forward.

I didn’t move.

My heart was a mess. My legs felt like they weren’t mine. But still, I couldn’t stop looking at him.

“I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner,” he said, now standing right in front of me.

Close enough that I could smell the smoke on his skin, the faint iron of blood, the heat of war.

“Where were you that night?” I whispered, blinking back the tears I swore I wouldn’t let fall.

My voice cracked, but I knew he heard me.

And I knew he knew exactly which night I meant.

Cassian lowered his gaze.

“The day you were married off…” he said slowly, voice heavy. “I wasn’t there because…because she sent me away.”

“Your mother?” I asked, even though I already knew.

He nodded. “She knew I’d never agree to it. Never let it happen. So she had me sent away, without telling me why.”

His jaw clenched. “By the time I got back… it was already done.”

My chest tightened.

“I swear,” he continued, “I looked for you. But I wasn’t strong enough then. I couldn’t get you back from the Don.”

He closed his eyes, his voice thick now.

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry I never protected you. I’m sorry I left you behind.”

“But before then…” I whispered, my throat tight. “You stopped showing up in my room. You started avoiding me.”

His eyes flickered, guilt flashing through the green.

“That was because my mother found out,” he said, voice quiet but steady. “She knew I was getting close to you.”

He looked away, jaw tightening.

“She threatened to torture you if I didn’t stay away. Said she’d make an example of you. Said I’d have to watch.”

I swallowed hard, the pieces clicking into place.

“I thought you abandoned me,” I said softly.

Cassian turned back to me, his eyes glassy with a rage that had nowhere left to go.

“I didn’t. I could never.”

He stepped closer, his hand hovering like he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to touch me.

“I’m sorry. But now… now you’re mine. I can protect you. No one…not even the Don. is ever going to take you away from me again.”

“I don’t want to be owned by anyone,” I said softly, but firmly.

“I just… I want to be free.”

Cassian froze.

The weight of my words hung between us like a blade.

He didn’t speak for a moment…just stared at me, like he hadn’t expected that. Like a part of him had hoped I’d melt into his arms

And forget everything.

But I wasn’t that girl anymore.

Not after five years in hell.