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 POVDillon led me into his foyer.“Well, how about the grand tour?” he asked as we awkwardly stood at the door. Now that we were actually at Dillon’s, I wondered if I’d made a mistake coming there. This was his house, his personal space. Surely, I was putting him out.He seemed casual as ever though as we walked through the house. In fact, he seemed genuinely happy to have me there as he proudly told me all about his house.“I went back and forth between granite and this new, cement-like material for the countertops,” he said as we walked through the kitchen. “I settled on granite, as you can see. I guess I’m a sucker for something tried and true.”His kitchen was stunning. The white granite and the stainless steel appliances gleamed under the numerous pot lights. We walked through the kitchen to the formal dining room, outfitted with a massive mahogany dining room table that could easily seat ten people.“I don’t use this room much,” he told me. “I usually just eat at the
Cassandra’s POVI slept better my first night at Dillon’s than I’d slept in a long time. Dillon and I spent the afternoon lounging by his pool. It wasn’t warm enough for bathing suits, which was fine because I didn’t have one there anyway. But it felt nice to relax with the sun on my face.After that, Dillon ordered what felt like a pharmacy’s worth of medicine for me as well as Chinese food.“I didn’t know what flavor you like,” he said, setting down bottle after bottle of cold medicine onto the counter. I was touched. I’d been sick a few times during my marriage to Jordyn, and he hadn’t exactly been the best caregiver. In fact, come to think of it, he’d often seemed annoyed when I was sick, like my being sick was an inconvenience to him.Dillon was the opposite. He bent over backwards to make me feel comfortable. We binge watched some Netflix while we ate Chinese food. It was nice. Dillon didn’t let me lift a finger, literally. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt that at ease,
Cassandra’s POVShit.‘Bad kittie,” I hissed at the cat the moment I realized my camera had been turned on. Not knowing what else to do, I dove down, my head between my legs, trying to get my face away from the camera. Stoffs, not knowing that she’d done anything wrong, just curled up on the laptop.Everyone started cooing when they saw her.“Oh my, what a pretty little kitty,” I heard someone say.“Look at her. All snuggled up on the keyboard. Oh! She just yawned! I saw her cute little pink tongue. Are we boring you, little kitty?” someone else gushed.But through all the gushing and cooing over the cat, I heard Jordyn’s voice, loud and clear.“Cassandra?” he asked.Damnit. Had he seen me? There had been roughly five seconds before I realized the camera had been turned on, five seconds where my face had flashed right into one of those little Zoom boxes on the screen.I carefully crawled off the chair and onto the ground. When I was sure I was out of the camera’s view, I stood up.“Cas
Cassandra’s POVI decided to Facetime my parents. I was feeling pretty stressed about the meeting and I hadn’t talked to them for a while. They always made me feel better and Dillon was out grocery shopping for dinner ingredients, so I figured it was a good time to call.I dialed and moments later, my mom’s face popped up on the screen.“Cassandra, love! How are you?” my mother asked. She was donning her wide-brimmed gardening hat, which only meant one thing. She was trying to cut roses. We had a professional gardener and groundskeeper, of course. But every so often, my mother got it in her head that she should go and cut some fresh roses herself. It never ended well. She either cut them too short so that they couldn’t really sit in a vase, or she pricked her fingers on the thorns and cursed, or she got bored and gave up.We all tried to convince her to just give up on the whole gardening thing. She clearly didn’t have a green thumb. But she never listened.“Whatcha up to?” I asked, su
Cassandra’s POV “Crap, Cass. I’m sorry,” Dillon said behind me, scampering away from the screen. I hadn’t even realized he’d come home. I’d wandered upstairs while on the phone to sit outside. I hadn’t heard Dillon come in through the front door.I turned to face him. “It’s okay,” I smiled at him. He was acting like we’d just been caught doing something wrong, which was far from the truth. I had no issues with my parents knowing I was at his house. I just hadn’t told them that yet.“Was it Dillon?” my mother asked. I turned back to my phone. My parents’ faces were smushed up close to the screen, inches away, their eyes squinting.“Yes,” I laughed. “Now back up please. You look ridiculous. Dillon, come say hi.”Dillon saddled up beside me. I could smell his shampoo.“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Stoneworth,” Dillon waved at the phone.“Dillon! So nice to see you. What are you doing at Cassandra’s?”“Actually, I’m at Dillon’s,” I said. “See?” I pointed the camera through the French doors into Di
Cassandra’s POVDillon and I had a lovely night together. I sat outside, on the veranda, and watched as Dillon expertly flipped the steaks on the barbeque. The scent of grilled meat wafted through the air, mingling with freshly blossomed lilacs.“I didn’t know you could cook,” I mused. He looked adorable, in an apron that said ‘GRILL MASTER” across the front and a massive spatula in one hand.“There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me,” he smiled. Then he winked. “I actually really like cooking,” he told me. “If you can call barbequing cooking.”“I call it cooking,” I said.“Well, just you wait,” he shook the spatula at me. “I have a few more meals up my sleeve.”“You really don’t have to go through all this trouble,” I told him. “It’s not like I’m an invalid. I can look after myself.”“No, you can’t,” he said, his voice serious. “That’s why you ended up in the hospital.”Touche. He had me on that one.“All right, I just mean, you don’t have to dote on me like this,” I told him.
Cassandra’s POV“Well, what the hell, hey?”Stella came up behind me, her voice gentle. She knew that there was something between Dillon and I, even if I hadn’t admitted it. She’d teased me about it several times. And now she could see the heartbreak on my face.“Why didn’t he tell me, Stella?” I asked, turning to face her. I felt my bottom lip quivering.“Heck if I know,” Stella said, shaking her head. “Men. Sometimes I really do think they’re from a different planet.”“He was married? To…her?”I glanced down the hall but Laura was gone. It was only then that I noticed Jordyn, standing in the corner of the room, in a shadow. His eyes were fixed on mine. How long had he been standing there? Had he just seen and heard the whole thing?I felt like such a fucking idiot! I’d trusted Dillon. I’d just confessed my love for him. Mind you, he’d been in a coma while I’d done it and probably hadn’t heard me. But still? I tried to steady my breathing. But I felt like everything was unravelling.“
Cassandra’s POVWhat?!I felt like I’d just been punched in the stomach. Surely, I hadn’t heard her right. She’d just said that she was….Dillon’s ex-wife?But that wasn’t possible. Dillon had never been married.I looked to Cameron, confusion all over my face. Cameron shrugged, and pressed his lips together.“Sorry, Cass. I should have told you. I just…I didn’t feel like it was my story to tell. You know?”I shook my head at Cameron. Yes! You should have told me! That’s what I yelled in my head, but I was desperate to keep my composure, which meant keeping my mouth shut.Stella apparently didn’t feel the need to do the same though.“What…the actual…fuck?” she asked, approaching us. “Did you just say…” She pointed and flicked her finger back and forth between us all… “I must have heard you wrong. Because I thought you just said that you’re Dillon’s ex-wife.”Leave it to Stella to be blunt as hell.“I did,” Laura sighed. She rubbed her hands in front of her. “I’m sorry you had to find ou
Cassandra’s POVDillon received the blood he needed, and our prayers were answered. The doctor came out to the waiting room some time in the middle of the night to deliver the good news. Stella was asleep, her head on Cameron’s lap. Cameron was flipping through a magazine on women's health (it was all that they had). I was chewing my nails right down to the flesh. I leapt to my feet when I saw the doctor.“Good news,” the doctor said, smiling. “The transfusion worked. I’m happy to say that Dillon has stabilized and he’s in the clear now.”“Is he awake?” I asked, practically pouncing on the doctor.“Yes. He woke up from his coma about a half hour ago…”“Can I see him?” I asked, cutting off the doctor. He shook his head.“I know you’re eager to see your husband, but I’m afraid he needs to rest right now,” the doctor told us.“Where’s Laura?” Cameron asked, as Stella continued to sleep. I couldn’t help but notice that Cameron kept affectionately petting her head, stroking her hair with hi
Cassandra’s POVI’d never seen that woman before in my life. I was surprised to see her hugging Cameron. Stella and Jordyn were nowhere to be found. Perhaps they were still in the waiting room?As I approached, I got a good look at her. She was dressed well, in a cashmere two piece suit, with a white silk shirt underneath. She looked profession, well put together. She had gorgeous, black, silky hair that was long and straight. As I got closer, she glanced over at me. She had the bluest eyes I’d ever seen.She was roughly the same age as me, I figured, give or take a year. She was stunning, in a classic beauty sort of way. She looked like someone who belonged in a penthouse on Park Avenue in New York. She was elegant, right down to her suede Louis Vuitton’s pumps and French manicured nails.Clearly, Cameron knew who she was. They both had concern etched on their faces as they talked. But when Cameron saw me approaching, his expression shifted to a more intense look of worry.“Cassandra
Cassandra’s POVI entered Dillon’s room and my heart sunk. He was hooked up to even more machines than before, and his face was paler than I’d ever seen it. The machine beside him beeped rhythmically, showing his heart beat.But his eyes were closed.It killed me to see him like this, in a coma. I went to his bedside and took his hand in mine.The doctor had said that I should talk to him. What was I supposed to say? Tears brimmed in my eyes as I looked at his lifeless face. Cameron said he’d found a match for Dillon, but he was vague about who that was. I didn’t push the issue. As far as I was concerned, it was a miracle. Apparently this person was on her way. Dillon’s condition was critical though. The doctor told us that, at any moment, his organs could start shutting down.I stroked his hand with my thumb, thinking about what to say to him. Then a little voice inside my head told me to just speak from my heart.So that’s what I did. “Dillon,” I said softly. “I don’t know if yo
Cassandra’s POV“Isn’t good?” I asked. I felt faint. My heart was beating so fast I could hear it in my ears. “What does that mean?”“Dillon needs blood,” the doctor said. “Without it, there’s a high chance that his organs will shut down again. We’re doing everything we can for him. But without more blood, there’s really nothing we can do.”I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. How was this possible? Dillon needed blood. There had to be blood, somewhere. There had to be someone with Dillon’s blood type.“We’re going to keep calling around. Unfortunately, because the blood is so rare, we often don’t get a lot of it from donors. So in the meantime, if any of you know someone with his blood type, then please. Reach out. I’m afraid the situation is quite dire.”With that, the doctor patted me on the arm and walked away.I watched him walk away, stunned. If we know anyone? How the hell were we supposed to know anyone with Dillon’s rare blood? Wasn’t that their job? This was a hospital for
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