Cassandra’s POV “Familiar how?” I asked Cameron. He shrugged. “I can’t explain it,” he said. “But the whole thing just felt off. I mean, they’re good designs. Fabulous, actually. Very creative. As I looked through them, though, something just wasn’t sitting right. So I went to your office to show them to you.” “Do you have the designs with you?” I asked. “Of course,” Cameron said. He opened his briefcase and pulled out a large folder. Cameron handed me a folder just as Stella let out a huge yawn. “Excuse me,” Stella said, covering her mouth. Her eyes were bloodshot and she looked a little woozy.“Stella, please,” I told her. “You need to get some rest.” Stella hadn’t worked for three days consecutively like I had, but she was close. She’d pulled some really long days too. I was worried about her. I’d made a huge mistake, one that had landed me in the hospital. I didn’t want the same for her. Stella yawned again. “Maybe you’re rig
Cassandra’s POV“Dillon?” I gasped. Dillon was the last person I expected to see in the hospital hallway. I felt even worse now that I’d ruined his shirt. “What are you doing here?”He smiled, the half-empty Styrofoam cup of coffee still in his hand.“I came to see you,” he told me.My stomach did a little flip-flop as he flashed me his boyish grin. He looked good, in navy pants and the crisp white shirt. The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled. If not for the massive coffee stain on the front of his shirt, he’d look like he just stepped out of the pages of a fashion magazine.He came to see ME? Actually? I wasn’t expecting that. I knew that Dillon and I had grown increasingly closer over the past few weeks. In fact, I was starting to think of him as one of my best friends. But I was surprised that he’d come all the way to the hospital just to see me.Surprised and somewhat confused…“How did you know I was here?” I asked, flummoxed.“Cameron told me,” Dillon said matter-of-factl
Cassandra’s POV“What are you doing? Put me down!” I declared as Dillon carried me through the halls of the hospital. I had no choice but to wrap my arms around his neck to steady myself. My feet dangled in the air as he walked, carrying me like I weighed nothing more than a rag doll.“I told you…” Dillon said, a hint of playfulness in his voice, which only exacerbated my irritation. “You leave me no choice.”He carried me right out of the hospital and out into the parking lot.“You know, this could be considered kidnapping,” I told him. The scent of his cologne was sharp in my nose. It smelled absolutely delicious. I suddenly became very self-conscious.Shit, when was the last time I had a shower? I probably reeked! And my breath? Oh god, I needed a breath mint. If Dillon noticed, though, he didn’t show it. He just kept marching right through the parking lot. A few people raised their eyebrows at us as we passed.“I’ll risk a kidnapping charge,” Dillon said, finally put me down. “If i
Cassandra’s POVI started to get in the car with Dillon, but as I did, I saw a couple walking across the parking lot. At first glance, they looked oddly familiar. I recognized the green wool jacket that the woman was wearing. I stopped and stared.The man had his arm around the woman.“Cassandra?” Dillon asked, noticing my pause.The couple was fairly far away, but I could see them clearly enough to know it was them – Jordyn and Ellie.‘What are Jordyn and Ellie doing here?’ I thought to myself. I stood and watched them cross the parking lot. Then I looked to the doors they’d just entered through the glass doors and I looked up to see the sign overhead.Those were the doors to the gynecology department. But why would they be going to see a gynecologist, I wondered.Unless…Was Ellie pregnant?“Is something wrong?” Dillon asked.“I…it’s Jordyn,” I stammered.“Where?” Dillon asked, his expression changing and his frown deepening.“Right there.” I pointed to the doors of the gynecology de
Cassandra’s POVJordyn walked fast, back through the parking lot towards his car. For a moment, my breath hitched in my throat. Why was he coming back? Had he seen me? I watched, frozen in place as he approached his car. He opened the door and grabbed Ellie’s purse.Oh. He’d just come back for Ellie’s purse, I realized with a sigh of relief. The last thing I wanted right now was to see him, let alone to talk to him here, in the parking lot. I didn’t have time for this bullshit. I had to get to Dillon’s so I could start working again. Someone was already submitting our stolen designs to fashion companies. We needed to get some of our designs out to the public ASAP.But as I started getting into the car, I heard a voice call out.“Cassandra?”Shit. It was Jordyn. He must have spotted me across the parking lot. I slowly turned around to see Jordyn marching towards us, his eyes narrowed.“What are you doing here?” Jordyn asked as he approached. “Is everything okay? Why are you at the hospi
Cassandra’s POV“You don’t mean that,” Jordyn said, his eyes wide and serious.I did mean it though. I’d had enough of Jordyn and his constant interference in my life. When we agreed to the collaboration with Jordyn’s company, I knew it would come with its own unique set of challenges. But I’d honestly thought that Jordyn and I could maintain a professional relationship. I never, in a million years, thought he’d keep trying to barge into my personal life like this.What was he doing? Why was he even talking to me at all? His fiancé, and the mother of his child was currently waiting for him in the gynecology department. Why was he out here, arguing with me in the parking lot? He should be inside, with Ellie!“I mean it,” I told him, my voice firm with steely resolve. I’d tried multiple times to make it clear to Jordyn that I wanted nothing to do with any of his personal affairs. I’d done my best to be polite and cordial. But this was the last straw! I’d just been discharged from the hos
Cassandra’s POV“What the hell do you want?” Jordyn sighed as Dillon approached. Dillon stepped in front of me, shielding me from Jordyn.“I want you to stop harassing my girlfriend,” Dillon said, glaring at Jordyn. Jordyn scoffed and rolled his eyes.“Who the hell are you?” Ellie asked, her hands on her hips.“Apparently,” Jordyn said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, “this is Cassandra’s new boyfriend.”The tension between Jordyn and Dillon was palpable. For a brief moment, neither of them said anything. They just stood there, glaring at one another. I stepped out from behind Dillon. I wasn’t used to seeing Dillon like this, all riled up and super protective. I appreciated where he was coming from – he wanted Jordyn out of my life as much as I did at this point. My family had never liked Jordyn and they had made no show of hiding their feelings about him during our marriage. I was certain that Cameron had overheard many scathing remarks about Jordyn over the years.And since Dillon a
“Well, that went well,” Dillon chuckled as we turned onto the highway. He reached over and gave my thigh a little pat. “Nothing like slapping someone with the threat of a lawsuit to really make them back off. Huh?”He took his eyes off the front windshield for a moment and flashed me a smile.“I guess,” I sighed. At the moment, I’d been pretty impressed about how things had played out in the parking lot. Cocky, even. Dillon had shut Jordyn down in such an intelligent, calm way. But now, as I sat there in that car with the scenery flying by, I felt uncomfortable.The whole thing just felt like such a mess. I didn’t understand how we’d gotten to this point, Jordyn and I. I was angry with him, yes, but I’d loved him at one time. I’d stood before him on our wedding day and said vows, real vows, vows I had intended to keep at the time. I’d been his wife, and I’d thought we’d grow old together.But now we were arguing in parking lots while his pregnant fiancé cast me dirty looks. Hell, I wa
Cassandra’s POVAgain, we found ourselves waiting. Again, we found ourselves tense with worry. Again, Stella stuffed her mouth with sugary snacks. And again, my thoughts turned to the worst case scenario.The doctor had told us nothing. There was no news, no updates. We were stuck in a holding pattern that felt like it went on forever. At one point, I felt like I would break. I honestly didn’t know how much more of this I could take.I’d been there, with him, in the room. He’d been smiling. A little groggy, yes, and talking nonsense about being my husband, but he had seemed…well. Hadn’t he?What had happened? One moment he’d been sleeping and the next? He’d been convulsing.He was in surgery. Again. That was all we knew.And again, all we could do was wait.I don’t know how long it was before Dr. Forter came back. I’d lost all sense of time. Hell, I didn’t even know what day it was anymore. Our time in the warehouse, with Ellie and her stupid pictures felt like a lifetime ago. Had it r
Cassandra’s POVShit.I was worried that Dillon was going to correct the nurse. And if he did, they might kick me out of here. So I gave Dillon a look that said, follow along. Although, he was pretty out of it so I wasn’t sure if would pick up what I was laying down.“He’s so brave, isn’t he? My husband.” I enunciated the last word, hoping Dillon would catch on. “Cameron and Stella are here, too,” I said. “But they can’t see you yet since they’re not family.” Again, I enunciated the last word.“Husband,” Dillon sighed contentedly. “I like the sounds of that.”“There, there,” I told him, hoping he wouldn’t say anything else. The nurse was nice and quick, thankfully. She just took a few vitals and jotted some things down.“All done,” she smiled. “He does need to rest though. So not too long of a visit, okay?” “Of course,” I said.When she was gone, I explained to Dillon that I was pretending to be his wife so they’d let me see him.“We don’t have to pretend,” he said, his voice stil
Cassandra’s POVI waited with breath held for Dr. Forter to tell me about Dillon. Cameron and Stella appeared behind him and came to join me.“He’s out of surgery,” the doctor said. “We were able to extract the bullet cleanly. Thankfully, it didn’t hit any major organs. He’s stable, for now. But he’s lost a lot of blood so we’re monitoring him closely.”His words were like heaven to my ears.“Stable?” I asked. “That’s good, right?”“It is,” the doctor smiled. “He’s not completely out of the woods yet, so to speak. But it looks very promising at the moment. It’s a good thing he got here when he did.”“Can I see him?” I asked. I felt an enormous weight lifting off my chest. I’d feared the worst, we all had. I’d been terrified that the doctor was going to come and tell us that Dillon hadn’t made it. But now that he was stable, my mind immediately turned to thoughts of seeing him.“You can, yes. But not quite yet. He’s still waking up from surgery.”“I want to see him too,” Cameron quipped
Cassandra’s POVWe did our best to pass the time but it felt like the clock was moving backwards. Jordyn went to get us some food, and when he came back, we couldn’t help but chuckle. He dumped an armload of vending machine crap onto the table.“What did you do?” Cameron asked, “Rob every vending machine in the hospital?”“I didn’t know what anyone wanted,” he told us, suddenly sheepish at the mass amounts of chips, chocolates, and candies he’d purchased.“Thank you,” I told him. I knew it was his way of helping. None of us knew what to do, really, as we waited there in that room. Jordyn was at least trying to feed us.Stella reached for some chips and tore open the bag.“Cassandra? What’s your poison?” Cameron asked me. I was sitting, my knees nervously bouncing up and down. “Chocolate? Gummies?”I shook my head. “I’m not hungry,” I told them. Food was the last thing on my mind. Dillon had been in surgery for over two hours now. Several other people waiting had been called away, one b
Cassandra’s POVBeep. Beep. Beep.The red line gave way to little peaks again.“We have a pulse,” one of the paramedics said.“You mean? It worked? He’s…okay?”I let out a massive sigh of relief. I watched his heart beating on the machine. His heart had stopped. He had…he had died. I stared at the machine, studying the tiny peaks, as though, at any moment, they might betray us and flatline again. “His pulse is still weak, but he’s stabilized. ETA to the hospital?” one of the paramedics asked the driver.“Three minutes,” the driver said, as the ambulance lurched to the left in a hard turn.It had worked. Dillon’s heart had stopped and they’d restarted it. If they hadn’t come when they had, if they had been even a little while longer…Dillon would have died in that room in the warehouse. Without their machine, we wouldn’t have been able to resuscitate him.“Thank you,” I whispered.“We’re just doing our jobs,” one of them smiled kindly at me. “You can hold his hand again.”I felt so muc
Cassandra’s POVThe ambulance tore off down the streets, sirens blaring. I sat on my seat beside Dillon’s stretcher. I felt like I was in the way. The paramedics went to work, trying to stabilize Dillon, they told me. He had an oxygen mask clamped over his face. His face was white as a ghost. They put a tiny thing on his finger to monitor his heartbeat.“Can I…can I hold his hand?” I asked, my face wet with tears. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and hold him. I wanted to stroke his hair. But I didn’t want to get in the way of whatever they were doing. “Of course,” one of them smiled kindly at me. I took Dillon’s limp hand in mine and squeezed it. His hand was so cold it made my stomach drop. “Will he…will he be okay?” I asked.One of the paramedics looked me in the eyes.“We’re doing everything we can,” he said.I didn’t like that answer. I wanted to hear, ‘yes, of course, he’ll be just fine.’ The vague response only made me feel even more uneasy.How had we come to this? I wonde
Cassandra’s POVEverything happened so fast. It was like a blur.The paramedics rushed at us, asking me to step aside. They removed Dillon from my lap and tore open his shirt. Blood squirted from the hole in his stomach. I felt weak in my knees. I gasped and covered my mouth.They started firing questions at us.“When was he shot? How long ago? Does he have any pre-existing conditions? Any allergies? How long has he been unconscious?”Stella and I tried to answer their questions as best we could, but I was so panicked I could barely speak.“He was shot about three minutes ago?” Stella said. “He just passed out, moments before you got here. We’ve been applying pressure to the wound. He doesn’t have any allergies. He’s healthy.”“What’s his name?” one of the paramedics said.“Dillon,” Stella said.“Dillon? Can you hear me? I’m a first responder. Dillon?” the paramedic asked. Then he glanced up at the other paramedic.“Pulse is 124. He’s gone into shock. He’s lost a lot of blood. We need
Cassandra’s POV“Dillon!” The scream escaped my lips before I could stop it. Dillon hunched over, his face contorted in pain. He clutched his stomach.I couldn’t believe it! Ellie had shot him. She’d actually shot Dillon!“What have you done?” Stella hollered at Ellie. I glanced at Ellie. She was holding the gun in her shaky hand, looking as shocked as we all were.“I…oh my god…I,” Ellie stammered. I rushed to Dillon just as Jordyn charged at Ellie. Jordyn grabbed her wrist and she gave up the gun.Just then, we were sirens wailing in the distance. Finally, the police were coming. And just in time.“Call an ambulance,” Stella cried out, also rushing towards Dillon. Blood was gushing out of his stomach. His hands were covered in his own blood. He looked at me, his face growing paler by the moment. I no longer cared about Ellie. The room swam in my vision. The only thing I cared about in that moment was Dillon.“Dillon?” I asked. He stumbled and I knew he was going to collapse so I tried
Dillon’s POVThe moment we pulled up to the abandoned warehouse, a surge of adrenaline rushed through me. Ellie’s sweater was still lying in a heap on the ground where she’d carelessly tossed it aside. We glanced around, but there was nothing in sight. No other people, no other cars.“They must be inside,” Jordyn said, heading to a door. I motioned for everyone to be quiet with the tip of my finger. If Ellie was inside with the girls, I wanted us to be stealth, so as not to tip her off with our arrival. I didn’t want to give her a chance to escape.The door creaked open and we found ourselves inside a dark corridor. There were several other doors, all leading to other rooms. We walked quietly down the hall, peaking into the rooms, but there was nothing.Then, suddenly, I heard the sound of a voice. “We won’t let you do this!”“Stella,” Cameron said, recognizing the voice. We all tore off down the hall towards the voice. I was in the lead and soon enough, we came t