8. Who I really am

Cassie POV

That same afternoon, Mark Skyland knocked on my door.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, seeing him standing there at my doorstep.

“Can you let me in?” He tried to step inside, but I blocked the door.

“No? I mean, you know I want nothing to do with you.”

“Are you really that mad at me? I get it, you pulling your little revenge stunt on me and all that, but going as far as hooking up with that idiot Joe Wilson? That was to get my attention, right?” He sounded so sure of himself.

I scrunched up my face. “What? What kind of nonsense is that? I sleep with whoever I want, and it has nothing to do with you and your ego!” Did he really think everything had to revolve around him?

Mark sighed, nodding. “Alright, fine… I’m sorry, I just… got a bit pissed when I heard that guy bragging about how he hooked up with you.”

Oh, God. That was a lot to process. So Joe Wilson was going around spreading the word about our quickie in the bathroom earlier?

And it’s not like it was even that great—I regretted it minutes after because I didn’t want that guy clinging to me moving forward. But now, knowing he was out there announcing he’d been with me like I was some kind of trophy? I definitely wanted him gone.

And here was Mark, at my door, with his male pride wounded just because I slept with another guy, even though he knows I hate him. That’s honestly laughable. Why are these guys so childish? It made me think of Josh and our one-night stand—that guy seemed mature enough to respect and value me.

God, what I wouldn’t give for another encounter with him…

“Seriously, Cassie, I really need to talk to you about everything that happened,” Mark insisted.

“You already said everything you wanted when you were flaunting your superiority earlier today,” I said, remembering him in the college hallway with his lackeys, strutting around like he owned the place, untouchable, as if nothing I did against him would ever stick. “Just do me a favor and leave me alone.” I started to close the door, but he stopped it.

“No, please, Cassie. Just hear me out, I swear I’ll leave you alone after this,” he pleaded, his face filled with distress, looking sincere.

I might end up regretting it, but I sighed. “You have two minutes.” I stepped aside to let him pass.

“Great, thank you…” he exhaled in relief and walked into my apartment, a small but well-kept place with a comfy couch, a TV, and a small bookshelf by the window where I kept my books for reading in my free time.

Kitty, my little puppy, barked as soon as she saw Mark come in. “God, will she ever get used to me?” Mark complained about the pup.

I let out a sarcastic chuckle, picking up my little girl in my arms. “They say animals can sniff out bad character from a mile away,” I said, making sure he got the hint.

Mark sighed and sat on my couch. “I know you hate me right now, Cassie,” he began.

“And I have every reason to, don’t you think?” My gaze was accusatory.

“You do, and believe me, I mean it when I say that,” he said, sounding sincere. “I know what I did to you wasn’t cool, the way I used you to get out of trouble, the way I cheated on you without a second thought. I’ve thought a lot about it, Cassie. I… I’m sorry.”

I let out a sarcastic chuckle at his words. “Well, good to know there’s a conscience under all that muscle, that you’re sorry and all, but seriously, what do you expect me to do with that? Nothing you say or do will change how I feel about you, Mark.” And I was dead serious. He messed up and now shows up acting remorseful, expecting me to forgive him? If he thought I was some naive girl, he was sorely mistaken.

He swallowed hard. “I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness. I just want you to understand my side, you know…”

I wanted to roll my eyes in skepticism. “And what side would that be, Mark?”

“The side of how broken I am inside?” he said, then looked away, seeming uncomfortable. “The truth is, you don’t know me, Cassie. Nobody really does. I come from a completely dysfunctional family. My parents split up when I was little, and my dad was always so abusive to my mom.

I basically grew up in the middle of their fights, watching him mistreat her. He was always absent, even when he was still married to my mom. I never had him, despite him being rich—I never had any support from him.”

“Wait, but wasn’t it your dad who bribed the administration at Windy City University to keep you from being expelled?” I asked, not understanding what Mark was getting at.

“Yeah, he did that. Just like he’s covered up all my screw-ups with his dirty money,” he replied.

“Well, dirty or not, if he does that, it’s because he cares about you, right?” I shrugged. From another perspective, Mark might just be a jerk of a son, forcing his parents to clean up his messes.

“No, he doesn’t love me.” His voice was firm now, tense. “He only does it because he’s rich and influential and doesn’t want his reject of a son to tarnish his perfect businessman image. He’s one of those wealthy families that pretend to be perfect but are a bunch of selfish bastards on the inside.

I grew up in the middle of that, watching my mom and me get rejected by him over and over. So please, Cassie, don’t ever say that man cares about me again.” I could hear the anger in his words, a hatred that seemed to have been simmering for years.

I petted my puppy’s fur, uncomfortable with the situation. “Look, I’m sorry you went through that, but a dysfunctional family isn’t an excuse for what you do. Beck doesn’t get along with her parents either—that’s why she followed me to Chicago—but she doesn’t go around causing trouble.”

“You’re right, my daddy issues aren’t an excuse for what I did, but the way I’ve been acting is a result of it,” he replied. “And I’m sorry about your friend, but Beck and I are different people, and we deal with things differently.”

I bit my lip, not knowing what to say. “Yeah, that’s tough.”

“I didn’t come here to justify what I did. I just wanted to open up to you and show you a side I don’t let anyone see,” he said. “A Mark that’s far from the perfect, popular guy on campus, a Mark with vulnerabilities who goes through more bad days than you can imagine. That’s the real me, ugly and broken inside.” He spread his arms slightly for emphasis.

“Ain’t gonna lie, it’s a lot to think about…” I mumbled. Yes, it was true that Mark had hurt me deeply, but I was human enough to sympathize with what he was going through.

He gave a weak smile and stood up. “I think my two minutes are up,” he said with a small chuckle.

“Yeah, that’s it…” I laughed too, but uncomfortably.

“Thanks for listening, Cassie. It meant a lot to me,” he said, looking at me with sincerity.

“Um, I’ll walk you to the door…” I stepped forward and opened the door, watching him leave my apartment.

I closed the door behind him and cursed under my breath. “You reckless bastard!”

I was supposed to hate him, but now I was feeling sorry for him.