Cassie’s POV
I opened my email again. I realized that it was empty again. It was the fifth time that I was doing this today.
And yet, I did not receive any email.
I was waiting for an email from my dad. It had been weeks since I spoke to him.
I had sent him countless emails in the meanwhile, expecting that he would reply to at least one, but he didn’t. He was busy with his treatment, but I couldn’t understand what could be so serious about his condition that he couldn’t even spare a second to talk to me.
I was well aware that he was in touch with his legal team here as they ha
I widened my eyes. His interpretation took me aback. “That’s not true. You are my friend, and you have a place in my life. In fact, you have a very special place. But you can’t do everything for me.”“Why? We spoke about this so many times!" he said, "You’re the reason I’m alive. I am always indebted to you."“That’s not fair. You shouldn’t have to feel the obligation-” “But you are my friend, Cassie, and you mean a lot to me. I will help you if you’re in trouble. Just like you helped me in the past.”When he put it like that, I couldn't say anything. “Please let me do my job, Cassie. I won’t let anything happen to you. In fact, I come bearing good news.” Frowning, I wiped my tears away. Clearing my throat, I turned in my seat to face him properly. “What are you talking about?” “Our case.” He said, “We’ve found some great leads and we’ve spent the entire day following it, and we’ve managed to build a great case for tomorrow. Safe to say, you need not worry about anything. We’ve go
Calvin’s POVUpon Becky’s idea, I decided to come to this stupid pub. I was not even in the mood for it, but she forced me. She even invited my friends to come to the party so that I could have fun. But ever since I arrived, nothing has changed. I was still upset with everything that was happening around. Somehow, I couldn't keep my mind off the case tomorrow. I was anxious about it. “Calvin, come on!” My friend Jonathan said, “Why do you look like that? You’re finally going to get rid of your dumb wife. Aren’t you glad? You should be celebrating.” He was right. I should be celebrating, but I wasn’t. I was too sullen. Thank god, Becky wasn’t around, or else, she would have felt bad seeing me like this. She really wanted me to have fun today. “I don’t know, man. I can’t seem to have fun anymore.” “Well, look over there. There’s a hot chick right there. Maybe she can cheer you up?” Following his eyes, I looked toward the dance floor. I spotted the woman he was referring to but her
Cassie's POVThe atmosphere inside the court was cold and quiet. Despite the chilly weather, I could feel myself getting clammy in my palms, having to constantly wipe them clean against my pants. For the past half hour, Enzo and his associate Mark have been counselling me as to how to answer the attorney’s questions, and no matter what, I should not lie to make up for any slip of the tongue. “We have everything we need, and if we can keep the tide in our favour, there is no way we’re losing this case.” Enzo said, “Be confident, Cassie. You have done nothing wrong, so let the judge see that.” I kept repeating his words in my head until my thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the judge. As soon as my eyes recognized him, my breath hitched in my throat. Enzo didn’t miss my reaction to him, so he quickly turned toward me and asked, “What’s wrong?” “That man..” I said, “He’s George Halsted, right?” “Yes.” Enzo replied, “That’s the judge. What’s wrong?” “He.. he’s our biggest r
I widened my eyes in surprise. This was golden. How did he manage to get his hands on those documents? Becky looked toward Calvin in helplessness, and Calvin seemed equally surprised with it. He didn’t see that one coming either. If I were to guess right, he had no idea that Becky was drunk that night. “I.. the documents are not true..” Becky said.“Not true?” Enzo said, “We’re talking about Westwood Hospital, which is the largest and most renowned hospital group in the country. Are you trying to say their basic studies of blood alcohol levels are untrue? That’s going to be another lawsuit in itself then.” “I.. but I wasn’t the one driving that day!” Becky said. “How does it matter what I drank? Maybe someone spiked the drink.” “Right, that’s where I want to bring in this file, which reports the survey of the vehicle after the accident. Since there is no CCTV footage available, our best shot at determining who was driving the car that night would be this report, which claims that
Before I could even react, the judge kept asking. “How do you know that?” “Because Cassandra had asked me to help her harm Becky.” She said, “She meant to eliminate Becky from the picture so she could have Calvin all to herself. But I did not comply with her, and that angered her. She threatened to end my career if I revealed her intentions to anyone, and knowing that she came from an influential family, I kept my mouth shut. Later that night, I got to know that they met with an accident and that accident almost cost Becky her life.” “You’re lying!” I cried out in angst. “I never even spoke to you that night! You are lying!” I couldn’t control my anger. I knew I was not helping my case with my sudden outburst, but I could no longer sit idle like that because she lied her way through the conversation. I never did anything to her. What would she gain out of something like this? Does she even realize what sort of consequences I would have to face because of her little stunt? “Mr DeL
“The trial has concluded. Ms. Cassandra Harper Anderson has been convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to life imprisonment!”The final judgement pierced through the silence of the courtroom, echoing through its vast hallways. Lifetime imprisonment?!I didn’t hear a word beyond that. All at once, those two words seemed to be the only things I could make sense of. I never realized till now that it would take merely two words to pause your life and crumble everything that you’ve built in it so far.How is this possible? How could the judge be so biased? Was he bribed by Becky? I couldn't help but anxiously glance at Enzo.Enzo and his associate falling into a deathly silence driven by astonishment and denial. On the other end of the room, laughter and celebrations began. Hugs were exchanged, congratulations were conveyed, and victory was celebrated. Becky leapt into Calvin’s arms, and he dipped down to meet her for a kiss. The new couple celebrated their win over their enemy, an
Enzo’s POVI vividly remember the time when Cassie left me. It was decades ago when her adoptive parents came to take her to her new home. Cassie was reluctant to go. She didn’t want to go at all. When her new parents asked her why, she said she didn’t want to leave me. I wonder if she even remembers that episode now, but it was something I could never forget. It felt like the first time someone was choosing me, the first time someone cared about me. Ever since then, she remained a significant person in my life. As she eventually left me that day, it felt as though she was taking a part of me too. Somehow, nothing changed till this date. I watched as the police took her away, standing by myself all alone and helpless. She didn’t even look at me as the vehicle moved, perhaps she couldn’t bring herself too. The farther she went from me, the more unreachable she seemed. With every passing second, I realized that I was losing her once again, and something within me told me that this ti
Cassie’s POV Life inside the prison was exactly how I expected it to be. Miserable. There was no life, no beginning, and no end. It was a vicious cycle of doing the most mundane things, with not a soul to talk to, not a confidant to vent to. One just had oneself, and one had to make peace with that. The only time I saw people was during breakfast, lunch and dinner when people were fighting for their share of food. The quality of treatment of convicts was poorer than I’d expected. I had to fight for basic needs such as food and clean water. Since we were here after committing a crime, nobody deems us worthy of receiving such basic commodities although the government provides it to us. Apart from the food breaks, we are allowed an hour in the morning and another in the evening to spend outside the confines of the cell, and most people engage in an activity or service in the prison to kill time. I was reluctant to partake in any of those activities, simply because I knew I didn’t bel
The next week at the office was the same drill, and before I knew it, it was the weekend.I couldn't believe I lasted an entire week here, from having no idea how I was doing to gaining some foundation somehow. Emma was patient with me as I got the basics right and I eventually started working by myself, rarely needing her help.Through the week, Emma and I developed a great bond. She was proving to be my kind of a person, and since she wasn’t very close to any of her other colleagues, she was soon to accept me into her life too. Although she was technically my senior, she never made me feel that way, nor did she treat me like I was below her in rank. Because of this, we instantly clicked.Patrick was surprised with us too. He noticed that we were hav
I was having one of those dreams where you are aware of it.I was back in my prison cell, preparing myself for bed when I heard someone opening my cell door. When I looked over my shoulder to see who it was, I was instantly knocked down. I found myself on the floor in an instant and a faceless man was towering over my figure.I tried to scream for help, but nobody came. He caught my hands and put them above my head, and using his other hand, he tried to lift my shirt. I screamed in horror and jumped from my dream.When I woke up, I realized that I was panting and Enzo was patting my back. The TV screen froze and Enzo turned the lights on.“Cassie!” He said in worry, “What th
As I twisted the door knob open, I saw light flooding from inside. I frowned.Enzo was back already?“Hello?” I said as I closed the door behind me, getting rid of my heels.“In here.” Enzo’s voice chimed from the kitchen.“Wow, you’re cooking?” I asked. I was amused looking at him in his chef attire.“I am,” he said, “I hope you like pasta.”“I do.” I said, “But what’s the occasion ?”“We’re
I stared at the computer screen in horror. It was filled with red errors.I scrolled through my work in disbelief. This was the worst feedback I have ever received. I can’t be that bad.. Until.. I realized I was. What was this? I had never made these many mistakes before.Right then, my telephone buzzed beside my computer. When I took the call, I realized that it was Patrick calling me.“Meet me in my office.”Shit. “O-okay.”I quickly went to his office. I knocked on the door and pushed it open. When I entered, Patrick was looking into a file and didn’t bother to look up and acknowledge me. I clea
Cassie’s POV I looked up at the tall building with a sigh.It was my first day.I noticed that there was a Starbucks located beneath the office. Since I had some time to spare, I went in to get a fresh cup of mocha. Instead of sitting inside, I decided to take a stroll in the small park area outside the building. Maybe it was because I’ve been away from work for so long, I felt a bit uneasy to enter the office building.When it was time, I finally mustered up the courage to go inside. Saving me a trip to the HR, Enzo slipped in my identity card this morning, which granted me hassle-free entry into the building. Even though I told him that everything would just follow the process and I was confident I could get through all the interviews, Enzo said we didn’t need all those complicated steps. I went along with his arrangement, after all, it was his good intention.I went straight up to my floor and navigated through the throng of people who were standing in the gaps between the cubicle
Calvin’s POV“What’s the matter?” Becky’s concerned voice came after me as I entered our bedroom. Without sparing her a glance or a nod of acknowledgement, I barged into the bathroom, banging the door shut behind me.I hated lies. I hated liars.Today, Becky was found to be one. I loved her so much, but she didn't tell me the truth. I found out about it in court. It was pathetic.As I stood under the showerhead, I couldn't help but wonder why she might have done that. Why did she have to lie about who was driving the car and why did she have to frame Cassie in a murder case? Why did she hate her so much? Did that mean that Penelope had lied too? But why would she?
When I walked toward Becky, Calvin was nowhere in sight, nor were his lawyers, giving me my much-needed alone time with her. My conversation with her was far overdue, I realized.She saw me approaching her and started glaring. Her face was full of anger."What do you want?" She asked as soon as I arrived near her."I wanted to check if you're doing well." I said, "After all, you might be going to prison very soon. And after living there for two weeks, thanks to you, I can assure you that they will take very good care of people like you. You better be prepared."Becky scoffed, "I am not going anywhere. I will be right here with Calvin, making sure you don't steal him from me yet again.""Yet again?" I laughed, "Calvin was never yours to begin with, Becky. He was my husband. You are the one that came in between and sabotaged the life we built. If anything, it was you that took him away from me.""Calvin loved me."
I felt someone hug me from behind. When I turned around, I realized who. It was Kelly."Cassie!" She screamed in elation. "I can't believe this! You're finally free."I could hardly register what was happening around me as too much was unfolding at one go."You are going to be alright, Cassie! You're going to come home. Your life is going back to normal again!"I nodded, "It is, isn't it?" I asked, perplexed. "Everything is going to be alright now.""Yes, absolutely!" She said, grinning from ear to ear. "All thanks to this man here who never gave up on you."Following her eyes, I looked to my right where Enzo was standing. I detected a sense of relief on his face, as though a mountain of responsibility had been lifted off his shoulders. Dark circles had formed below his eyes, making me wonder how many sleepless nights he had endured to lead us to today's victory.Tears accumulated in my eyes i
Cassie's POV “Replay the video.” Said the judge, failing to believe his own eyes. I couldn’t blame him, for what Enzo had produced as evidence in the courtroom was astounding. I was perplexed as to how he managed to get his hands on something like this. The video was recorded from the car, giving a view of the driver and the passenger. The driver seemed erratic and wobbly, sloppily driving on the empty road. After a few seconds, the driver suddenly turned the wheel to a side, ending up colliding the vehicle with the tree. Fumes erupted from the bonnet, and the airbags opened in the front seat. The driver was unconscious, their head on the airbags as blood dribbled down it. Right then, the passenger door opened and they got down. They came to stand in front of the car, revealing their faces. It was me.I approached the driver’s side to help Becky, but Becky wouldn’t budge. I then proceeded to pull her phone out of her pocket and call for help. I had no memory of this video. I wasn