All Chapters of Flash marriage with the billionaire enemy : Chapter 41 - Chapter 47

ENIDI shouldn’t be here.That’s the first thought that crosses my mind as I sit across from Thane in a sun-washed Bel Air restaurant with soft jazz humming in the background and waiters gliding past with silver trays. The place is elegant, discreet, the kind of spot where wealthy families come to negotiate, gossip, or pretend their marriages aren’t falling apart.I stir my iced tea slowly, watching the lemon slice swirl.I’m not here because I want to be. I’m here because I need answers.Thane had texted me twice this morning, asking if we could meet. I ignored him at first, but curiosity keeps nagging at me. Because if my parents were so desperate for me to go on that blind date, then there has to be something more. Something they’re not telling me.And I’m done being clueless.“Enid,” Thane says, leaning back in his chair with that easy, polished smile he always wears. “You look tense. Relax. It’s just lunch.”“Let’s not pretend that you think this is just lunch," I say lightly.H

ENIDCassian’s coldness isn’t new.But this… this is different.It’s been almost a week since the lunch with Thane, and Cassian hasn’t said a single unnecessary word to me. Not even a glance. Not even a flicker of acknowledgment. It’s as if I’ve turned invisible, like some ghost haunting his mansion, occupying space but never quite existing.But that’s not what bothers me.What bothers me is that I can feel him avoiding me.If I walk into a room, he leaves. If I enter the kitchen for tea, he suddenly remembers he has a call. If our eyes accidentally meet in a hallway, he looks away immediately, jaw tight, shoulders stiff.And for reasons I can’t explain, it stings more than it should.I’m standing in the kitchen now, pouring hot water into a mug, when Maria texts me:Maria: How’s Cassian?Me: Distant.Maria: More than usual?Me: Way more.Maria: …do I want to ask why?Me: I don’t even know.Which is partially a lie.Because I do know.He saw me with Thane. But I don’t understand why h

CASSIANOne second, she’s standing. Next, she’s collapsing.I catch her before her body hits the tile, but the weight of her unconsciousness knocks the air out of me. Her head falls against my chest, her skin frighteningly cold, her breathing shallow and uneven.“Enid… Enid!” My voice cracks, too loud in the quiet kitchen.Her eyes don’t open. Her fingers don’t move. Her body feels limp in a way no one’s body should ever feel.A cold, violent panic floods my bloodstream.No. No. No.Not her.I shift my hold and scoop her into my arms, cradling her against me as if gravity might steal her away if I loosen my grip even slightly.“Enid, stay with me,” I whisper harshly, breath shaking. “You hear me? Stay with me.”She doesn’t respond.My heartbeat slams against my ribs as I carry her through the hallway. My feet pound against the marble floor, every step a punch of adrenaline. I shout for the driver, for anyone, but the house is dead silent.Of course it is. Of course, she’d collapse whe

ENIDI blink.Check on me?Cassian?I open my mouth to ask a thousand questions, but only one comes out:“Why are you acting like this?”He freezes.His eyes meet mine.And for the briefest second, I swear I see fear. It was entirely different from the fear I saw in his eyes when Lia was sick.Before I can press further, he turns away.“Rest, Enid,” he says quietly. “Please.”Please.He’s gone before I can form a reply.The door closes softly behind him.I sink onto the bed, my chest tight and my mind buzzing.Cassian Dorne cared today.Really cared.Maybe too much.And even though confusion twists my stomach… even though I know he’s hiding something…I can’t deny the raw, simple truth pressing through all of it. It felt good.It felt good to be cared for by him.Too good.Dangerously good.And I don’t know what to do with that.The next day, Maria arrives at the house like a hurricane.I barely make it down the stairs before she gasps loudly, drops her purse onto the console table, a