Chapter 27

CASSANDRA'S POV~

I don’t remember walking.

I don’t remember thinking.

I was just… moving. One foot in front of the other, barely feeling the pavement under me, rain dripping from my hair to my spine, soaking me to the marrow.

I wasn’t even a person anymore—just a walking bruise of disappointment, betrayal, and cold.

And then—

Bright lights flared ahead.

A sleek black Bentley cut through the darkness like something out of a dream—or maybe a nightmare, I wasn’t sure yet—and came to a smooth, silent stop just a few feet in front of me.

I froze.

My heart stuttered. Hard.

The driver’s door opened first. One of Adriano’s bodyguards stepped out, immediately raising a large black umbrella like it was part of a damn ritual. The other man, just as large and terrifying, moved around to the back and opened the door with precision.

And then—Adriano.

He stepped out slowly, shrugging off the umbrella his guard held above him like he didn’t give a damn about the storm soaking through his expensive p