Chapter 37

Cassian’s POV

She was watching.

I could feel her gaze from across the hallway,

But this time they were sharp and very cold

Like a blade that was sharpened by a goldsmith

She didn’t a word

Selena I mean

She didn’t frown, didn’t even acknowledge Julia’s press

Or maybe that was what she thought

I knew Julia too well as well.

I knew she was doing her best to spite Selena

Amd she was pissed that Selena wasn’t giving her the satisfaction she craved

I had to hand to Selena tho

But I could still see that she was watching closely

And that alone was enough to make something sickening curl in my chest

It wasn’t fair. I knew that.

But for days, I’d been the one pacing. The one wondering. The one trying to understand what the hell I’d done wrong.

And now?

Now she was the one with the quiet ache in her eyes. The one avoiding me. The one burning from the inside and pretending not to.

I didn’t like hurting her.

But I hated the silence more.

“You sure about this?” Conrad asked under his breath as Julia helped herself to a slice of fruit from the banquet tray.

“I’m not throwing her a welcome parade,” I muttered back. “She asked to stay. I’m letting her. One week.”

Conrad’s eyebrows lifted. “And what about the actual queen of this house?”

I didn’t answer.

Because what was I supposed to say?

That I was letting my ex stay under the same roof just to see if it rattled the woman I couldn’t stop thinking about?

That I was so damn tired of being shut out that I’d accept even jealousy if it meant Selena still cared?

Gods, I was pathetic.

But I turned toward Julia anyway, watching as she admired the velvet drapes like they were worth more than her dignity.

“One week,” I said clearly. “You can stay in the north guest wing. The guards will escort you.”

She smiled, slow and sugary. “That’s all I need, darling.”

I stepped in closer, lowering my voice until it was for her ears only.

“But you don’t go near Selena. And you don’t disrupt anything between her and Sisi. Am I clear?”

Julia blinked, stunned. “You’re still keeping that little namelwss princess around?”

I didn’t answer with words.

Just a long, dangerous stare.

Julia’s mouth snapped shut.

“I’m not here to cause problems,” she said finally, voice clipped. “Just… needed space. Away from the capital.”

“Then use your space wisely,” I replied, turning from her before I said something I’d regret.

I barely made it two steps before I saw her.

Selena.

She’d appeared from the corridor like a ghost conjured by tension. Her hair still damp from a bath, her eyes calm—too calm.

But the pain behind them was loud enough to shake walls.

“You’re letting her stay?” she asked, no emotion in her voice.

I didn’t flinch. “For a few days. She requested it.”

“Of course,” she said softly. “So when guests request, they get what they want.”

“That’s not what this is.”

“Really?” Her arms folded, but her posture stayed relaxed. Too relaxed. “Then tell me, Cassian. Did you also tell her this is all just a contract?”

The question hit like a slap.

Not because of what she said.

But because of how tightly her voice shook beneath the surface—like she was still clinging to pride that wanted nothing more than to shatter.

I opened my mouth.

And froze.

Because for the first time, I had no idea what to say.

And she was already turning away.

She turned on her heel.

And I let her go.

That’s what I told myself, anyway—that I was giving her space. That I wasn’t chasing her down like some guilt-ridden schoolboy desperate to explain himself.

But the truth?

I froze.

Because she’d looked at me like I was a stranger. Like I was every man who had let her down and expected her to smile through it.

And I hated it.

Julia was still standing behind me, quiet now. Watching everything. Feeding on the discomfort like it was dessert.

“I thought she was just a nanny, she looked like one,” her eyes were shining and her tone was deceptively sweet.

I didn’t bother answering.

Because if I did, I’d say something reckless. Something I wasn’t ready to admit.

Instead, I turned and walked away.

Straight out of the hall. Past the columns. Into the silence of the west wing where the echoes didn’t know her name.

**

I found Sisi playing alone in the sunroom, humming to herself while she arranged her tiny painted rocks in rows across the windowsill.

She looked up as I stepped in. “Where’s Mommy?”

“Resting,” I said softly.

She tilted her head. “Is she sad again?”

That question hit harder than any of Julia’s digs.

“I think… maybe,” I said.

Sisi blinked, her little brows furrowed. “Is it my fault?”

“No.” I crouched beside her. “Never. You didn’t do anything wrong, princess.”

She went quiet for a beat, then whispered, “She gets quiet when people leave.”

The breath caught in my chest.

I placed a hand gently on her back. “She’s not going anywhere.”

She stared out the window like she wasn’t sure she believed me.

Neither was I.

By the time I returned to my room, Julia’s scent had already seeped through the corridor. Sweet. Floral. Unwanted.

She was sitting on the velvet chair by the fire, legs crossed, sipping from a glass like she’d never left. Like she belonged.

“You’re in the wrong room,” I said sharply.

She pouted. “Am I? I thought maybe we could talk.”

“Talk?” I echoed, incredulous.

“We used to be good at that, remember?” Her gaze slid over me like a caress. “Before you decided fated mates were more important than real loyalty.”

I stiffened. “Get to the point, Julia.”

Her expression darkened. “Fine. You want honesty? You’re throwing everything away for a girl who won’t even look you in the eye. That little, rude—”

“Don’t,” I cut in, voice low and sharp.

Her eyes flared.

“I let you in because I was trying to be decent. Don’t push it.”

A long silence followed.

Then, softer: “You’re still in love with her, aren’t you?”

I didn’t answer.

Because I didn’t know what to call it.

Was it love?

Was it obsession?

All I knew was that every time she pulled away, it felt like drowning.

Julia rose slowly, setting the glass down. “She won’t stay, Cassian. You know that, don’t you?”

I met her gaze. “She’s still here.”

“For now.”

She walked past me then, her perfume thick in the air, and whispered near my ear, “Let’s see how long that lasts.”

**

That night, I stood in the corridor outside tye room Selena moved her things to for ten full minutes.

I didn’t knock.

I didn’t call her name.

I just stood there—listening to the quiet, imagining her inside. Maybe sitting at the edge of the bed with her hands in her lap, her mind racing the way mine was.

What had she seen in that library?

What had she put together?

A secret of mine?

I didn’t know if she’d guessed the truth…

About the Luna rituals.

or if she just didn’t want to ask.

Maybe she was scared of the answer.

Or maybe, deep down, she already knew.

And maybe… that was what scared me most.