Cassandra’s POVStella and I had more business cards than we knew what to do with. By the end of the banquet, I was feeling pretty wiped so I decided to go for a walk to get some fresh air. I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the amazing night and all the incredible things that had happened. Stella, Dillon, and Cameron decided to go to a late night karaoke bar. I told them I’d meet up with them in a bit.The night was stunning. I mused at the star-speckled stars and the dark, expansive water below. The air was comfortable with a warm breeze blowing off the water. The deck was fairly empty, with just a few people strolling by. But as I approached the front of the deck, I heard someone sniffling.I turned to see a woman crouched near the railing, her knees drawn up to her chest, her head in her hands. As I approached, I recognized her from that afternoon. She was Brock’s wife, the man who was having the affair with Ellie.Her exasperated sighs and tear-stained face could only mean o
Jordyn’s POV I had marched away from Ellie, furious that she’d cheated on me and even more furious that she wouldn’t just own up and admit. But there was something about her behaviour that had me worried. So I stayed around and watched her from a place in the shadows where she couldn’t see me.More and more lately, Ellie had been showing signs of being unhinged. Her frequent temper tantrums and sudden outbursts had me worried. I was really pissed at her, but something inside of me told me to stay. Perhaps it was a sixth sense, or intuition.She and Brock talked for a moment in whispered tones. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but judging by the looks on their faces, they were both angry with one another. I didn’t blame Brock for being mad at Ellie; she’d tried to throw him under the bus, claiming that he had coerced her into the affair and she was innocent in all this.Ellie was a far cry from innocent. She was a fucking train wreck, destroying everything in her path. How could
Jordyn’s POV“Oh my God! Cassandra!”I whipped my head towards the loud male voice that had just ripped through the air and saw that it was Dillon. He had appeared out of nowhere. I tried to get loose from Ellie’s grip but she held me back.“Please, help me,” Cassandra cried out. She was gripping the railing, but even from where I stood, I could see that she was losing her grip. Dillon barreled towards us just as one of Cassandra’s hands slipped. She was now only holding on with one hand. Her body flailed in the wind. Any moment now, she’d lose her grip and go cascading into the dark water below.“Hold on,” I hollered, my voice breaking.Dillon blew past us and leaned over the railing.“It’s okay, Cass,” he said, his voice surprisingly steady. “I got you.”I watched as he pulled her up and over the railing. They collapsed onto the deck. Ellie let go of me and glared at Cassandra and Dillon. Just then, Cameron arrived, followed by security personnel.“We came looking for you when you
Cassandra’s POV “Is that everything?” Stella asked, standing beside our packed suitcases.“Yeah, I think so,” I sighed. I’d had a chance to calm down and although I was still pretty unsettled by Ellie’s attack on me, I was happy to see that she’d been arrested. ‘Did you get my curling iron from the bathroom?” I asked Stella.“Check!” she said. “But I’ll do a double-check just in case.”Due to the incident with Ellie, the cruise ship was forced to dock as the nearest port, cutting our vacation short. Ellie shoving me off the cruise ship deck was deemed a criminal act and since we were in international waters, the law dictated that the cruise had to dock. Both Jordyn and I had been questioned extensively by the cruise ship police. I answered all their questions as best I could, although honestly, the whole event was sort of a blur.I never, in a million years, thought Ellie would actually try to push me right off a cruise ship. But in hindsight, I should have seen it coming. She did, af
Cassandra’s POV Once we were all back, the weeks leading up to the fashion competition went by in a blur. We received our completed designs from the company we’d hired and they were everything we could have hoped for. Our entire team was exhausted, even though we’d made sure that everyone got ample rest. Stella and I had already made the mistake once of burning the candle on both ends and we’d learned our lessons. So this time, we were striving for a much better work/life balance.But still, there was so much to do, so many moving parts. Our excitement about the up-coming competition was mixed with anxiety. We still hadn’t found the person who’d broken into our office and stole our designs, and we felt like we were walking on eggshells. What if they released our designs to the public before the competition? Thankfully, we had more than enough work to keep our minds occupied so we didn’t dwell on it too much.Jordyn called our company several times, requesting meetings. Stella took the
Cassandra’s POVStella and I watched the models strut their stuff with admiration. All the designs by the contestants looked so good! I had no idea how the judges would ever choose a winner.The audience also seemed enraptured by the designs. Some designs were simpler than others, with sleek lines and smooth fabrics. Others were more complex with several pieces and expensive fabrics. We had a perfect view of the runway from our seats and Jordyn kept to his side of the VIP area. However, every so often, I felt like he was watching me. I resisted looking his way, but about half-way into the show, I couldn’t help it. I snuck a glance at him and sure enough, his eyes were fixed on me. He had an intense look in his eyes but his eyebrows were furrowed in a distraught sort of way.I wondered what had happened to Ellie. I’d heard rumors that she’d been charged, although I wasn’t sure if she was actually charged with attempted murder. She had meant to kill me but that was pretty hard to prove.
Jordyn’s POV I didn’t mean to look at Cassandra so much during the fashion show, but she looked radiant and I couldn’t peel my eyes away from her. I hadn’t seen her since the incident on the cruise ship, although Lord knows I tried. I called her several times, hoping that she’d call me back. I just wanted to talk to her, to apologize again, to explain that I had no idea Ellie was capable of such a vile crime. I also wanted to tell her that Ellie was in jail and I would testify against Ellie if needed. What Ellie had done was wrong and she deserved to be punished for it.But Cassandra wouldn’t take my calls. I thought for sure I’d see her at one of the meetings since her chief designer still wasn’t back and Cassandra had taken over some of her duties but nope. Stella said Cassandra was far too busy, which I knew was just an excuse. Cassandra was a personal assistant. How busy could she be? She was avoiding me.I knew she’d be at this show tonight though. Just as I knew we’d be in the s
Cassandra’s POV Stella and I walked into the party beaming from ear to ear. The fashion competition had been a huge success. I defended our designs and the show continued. The judges named the winners of the contests and we personally congratulated them after the show. They were all young and they reminded me of a younger version of myself and Stella when we were just starting out. They had that awkwardness and lacked confidence. But with our help, I knew they would all be very successful one day.I didn’t talk to Jordyn at all that night. Once the show was over, Jordyn left. I did, however, see the look of shock on his face when I finally revealed my true identity on the runway. I couldn’t keep a secret anymore. Our company was being attacked and hiding my identity from Jordyn wasn’t worth risking our company. So it was all out in the open now.I figured he was probably pissed at me for lying, but I didn’t care. I had much more important things to focus on.Stella and I planned a cel
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
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