جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 140

Author's POV Liam approached them. “I'll also be taking my leave as well, father, mother.”Whitney stepped forward. “I hate to leave when Cassie and her mom are still here, but I'm a little worried about the café. Joe and Casey will be swamped once the uni resumes.”Lady Adelaide nodded. “Unstandable, dear. Do well to inform me when you all arrive.”Whitney smiled. “Will do, mother.”“Four members of my squad will go with you for protection. Just in case.” Jude said. Though it wasn't an outright order, his tone left no room for discussion.They nodded. Declan patted Declan on the shoulder twice before they were joined by Dorothy.“Mother, father. I know the trip didn't end like you wanted, but know that none of us regret coming on this trip.” She assured them. “And though they might not agree now, I'm sure the Monroes will come to realize this later.”Lady Adelaide didn't look convinced but she smiled nonetheless. “Thank you for saying that, Dear Dorothy.”Dorothy smiled. “No need to

Cassie's POV The woman… Angela stepped in before I could fire back. “I’m Angela,” she said gently. I’m not here to force anything, Cassie. I’m here because your family cares about you.” Her voice wasn’t pushy, just… steady. “And because for Adele to consider therapy for you then she really thought you needed it.”I frowned. “What does that mean?”“Adele never calls me about therapy cases. Ever. So when she did, I knew it mattered. I flew in right away.”I squinted. “From where?”“Hawaii.” She said it casually, like it wasn’t insane. “The flight was six and a half hours.”That didn’t make sense. “But… it hasn't been that long.”Ledger and Angela exchanged a look.I rolled my eyes. “What?”“You were asleep for nine hours,” Ledger said gently.I stared. Nine hours? The whole shootout had been early morning. My brain scrambled to catch up.Angela leaned in slightly. “All I’m asking for is thirty minutes of your time. That’s it. If you don’t want to after that, I’ll fly right back to Hawa

Cassie's POVI was back in the plane, but somehow I knew I was dreaming. This time I let the dream play out without trying to change anything. With nightmares, things were always more distorted than the memory itself. So I wasn’t surprised when it all looked more grim. The hijacker’s hand shook on the rifle, but in my dream, the gun barrel was pointed directly at Quentin’s chest.“Cass.”My eyes snapped open.It wasn’t the plane. It was Quentin’s whisper, and his face leaning too close to mine in the dim room. His hair stuck up in every direction, his grin sheepish.“What are you doing?” I croaked. “Wake up, I'm awake.” He said happily. He sounded way too excited for someone that just woke up.I blinked at him. “So you woke me up so you wouldn't be awake alone?”He nodded animatedly. Quentin laughed, unbothered. That boyish, unshaken grin tugged at me until I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. I yanked him closer and locked his head under my arm in a playful headlock.“Come on,” I said

Cassie's POV Angela’s words stuck to me longer than I wanted them to. They wouldn’t stop circling in my head. Not a burden. Let them in. Stop seeing myself as a burden. Love is strength, not weakness. It was easy for her to say.When I walked out of the study, Alison was already waiting in the hall with Kylian and Ledger. Alison caught my wrist before I could get pulled into something else.“Finally,” she said, dramatic as always with the way she tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Let's get going before someone drags you off to do something else.”I pressed my lips together, saying nothing. I did promise her we would spend some time together after all. Ledger smirked faintly but didn’t add anything. We all ended up spending the day together, walking the gardens, sitting around, listening to Alison and Kylian bicker over wedding details. The four of us spent most of the day wandering the grounds and lingering in town.Alison, of course, managed to turn everything into commentary, p

Ledger's POVThat night, when everyone was done eating, I pulled Miss Monroe and Cassie aside. “Before you go, there's something I need your help with.”There was a mixture of confusion and curiosity on both their faces.Then as I led them through the rooms, Cassie spoke up. “Wait, is this about Lady Celeste?”I smiled. She was as sharp as always. “Yes, it is. I'm worried about her.”“I noticed I haven't been seeing her around.” Cassie said. “Is she alright?”Miss Monroe came to a stop. “What? Is something up with Cece?”I shrugged. “Well, not physically… Ever since you got shot, she's been withdrawn. She feels guilty about the part her son played in getting you shot.”“Is that why Quentin hasn't seen much of Luke?” Miss Monroe asked.I nodded. “I think her intention was to stay here till you were well enough to leave while limiting their interactions with your family.”“Gosh, even the kids managed to sort out their issues within themselves. Why are adults so difficult?” She questione