“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
A nurse was called to tend to my wounds, but not a single soul asked me how I acquired it. I guess nobody spoke about such things in a prison, as they merely did not care for the safety of the prisoners. There was no place to complain about the issue either, so that left me with just one option: comply. I had to comply with the unsaid rules and norms of this place and give in to the power of other people when they demanded it. If I had to survive in this place for the rest of my life, I had to be submissive to its demands and my fellow inmates. But I could not do that. Even if I tried, how long could I possibly dance to someone else’s tunes? Surviving here was a challenge in itself, and listening to other people’s commands was another task altogether. “I need to make a phone call." “Are you sure you want to waste your phone call so soon? It’s been just a week since you’ve come here. Mind you, you’re only allowed one phone call per month.” The guard said. “I’m sure,” I said.
Enzo’s POVI felt exhaustion taking over my body as I stared at the screen before me. I saw seated in the backseat of my car and my driver was sitting in the front. I need to work on a document to share with a client but I couldn't focus. My thoughts were drifting to Cassie. I was wondering how she was doing and if she was okay. I would have to force myself to focus back on work, as worrying about her will hardly do us any good. If I wanted to help her, I would have to wrap up my pending work and give her case my undivided attention. Snapping out of my thoughts, I looked at the task at hand and started working on it. Within a few minutes, I finished writing the document and saved it. I was busy typing away when I heard my phone ring. I grabbed the phone with annoyance. When I read the caller ID, it only revealed an unknown number. Clicking my tongue in dismal, I cut the call and went back to writing my email. After about five minutes, I finished all my work. I closed my laptop and
Calvin’s POV I had a throbbing headache when I came back from the office. This week had been pretty hectic. I barely had any time to take a break. The only good thing was that Cassie was finally out of the way. I could peacefully focus on better things now.Becky had gone shopping earlier in the day and didn’t return yet. I took that chance to go to my room and rest for a while. I quickly showered and got ready for a nap. As I made my way to the bed, I noticed that the trash box in my room was filled. Beside it lay another paper bag which was also filled with things. Curious, I walked toward it and looked inside. It was a photo frame. And it looked familiar. When I pulled it out, I realized that it was my wedding photo. I was shocked to see it in the trash. Becky must have thrown it there, now that Cassie and I were divorced. It felt strange to look at our picture now. My heart felt heavy. Cassie looked so happy back then, as it was her dream to marry me. But it wasn’t mine. I did n
Calvin’s POV The party was in its full swing but I hated every minute of it. I was having a bad headache, and I couldn't wait for the party to end. However, Becky seemed to be having the time of her life. She was really enjoying the party, and I didn’t have the heart to scold her. So I just kept quiet and sipped on my beer. Soon, Jonathan came up to me and started chatting. “How does it feel to be finally divorced, Calvin?” I rolled my eyes at him. “Well, so far so good.” “What sort of a question is that, man?” Kylie, my other friend replied. “It’s a divorce at the end of the day. And divorces are not rosy.” “Yes, mine wasn’t either.” I said. “Come on, man.” Jonathan said, “You hated Cassie, remember? Good riddance. Look at Becky. She’s your woman now. Aren’t you happy?” “I am.” “See, that’s what I’m looking for.” “How is Cassie, by the way?” Kylie asked, “Any news about her?”“Oh, didn’t you hear?” Jonathan said, “It seems like Cassie got beaten up in prison recently.” “Wo
Enzo’s POVAs I entered the room I found Cassie sitting on the right, her eyes looking aimlessly ahead. Her eyes were hollow, her lips parched. To put it mildly, she looked lifeless. She didn't look toward me until I came to stand before her. But when she finally did, her face gave away nothing. I expected her to be angry with me for persistently showing up here despite her refusal to meet me. But she wasn't. She was just dead. It was right then that I saw a brace on her left hand and I widened my eyes in surprise. “What happened?” I asked, kneeling to get a better sight of it. As I examined it, I realized that it could perhaps be a fracture.“I sprained my hand.” Came her monotonous reply. “How?” She remained mute at that. Her response was weird, why wasn’t she saying anything? “Cassie?” I asked again. “What happened?” “I.. got into a fight.” “A fight?” I asked, “Why?”“You don't need to know."“Did someone attack you?’ “I'm not going to tell you.” I sighed. I knew that pushin
I felt my dress slip away from my body with ease at the mercy of his hands. I looked up at his hooded eyes, taken aback by the hunger in them. I never felt so desired by a man before. And oddly, it stirred a new confidence in me. I did not feel shy to finally get intimate with a man. Rather, I felt like I was meant to share this experience with him.“Having second thoughts yet?” He asked, rolling my hair into a thick bun behind my head. I felt a weird sensation travel down my entire body as he pulled at my roots.“No,” I said, “Just wondering why I resisted this all these days.”He raised his eyebrows up at me, “Because you’re an idiot.”H
Mr Lee's party did not fail to surprise me. I widened my eyes at what looked like a mini casino.“Damn,” I said, “Look over there. It looks like Mr Lee has just won a round of poker.”Enzo followed my gaze to look at Mr Lee holding a stack of notes in victory. His eyes fell on us then and he gestured for us to come over.“Come on, Mr DeLuca. Join us.” He said, pulling a chair beside him.“I don’t play poker, Mr Lee.” He said.“Ah, that’s too bad.” He clicked his tongue before looking at me. “Perhaps Miss Harper can join us?”
Mr Lee was not kidding.His beach property a few kilometres away from his residence was astounding. It was a member’s only resort, meaning only the wealthy had access to it. Mr Lee’s friends were also here for a small get-together, and we would be joining them to have some fun.“My staff will guide you to your villa, Mr De Luca.” Mr Lee said as we got out of his car. “This is mine. I’ll be heading in. See you in the evening for dinner. Don’t be late.”“Sure. Thank you, Mr Lee.”Only when we reached our villa did it occur to me that I would have to share it with Enzo. After all, in Mr Lee’s eyes, we were a couple.I humped
Warm rays of sunshine woke up the next morning.And as soon as I did, I realized that my body was pressed against Enzo's!I widened my eyes in surprise. Our legs were entangled, and our bodies were cuddling against each other.How did we end up like this?Somehow, I got out of his hold and went to the bathroom to take a quick shower. When I came back, Enzo was wide awake."Shit." I muttered to myself, holding the towel closer to my chest.Enzo's eyes lifted to steal a glance at me, and surprise was evident on his face. I watched as his jaw clenched. I knew too well that his gaze was not an innocent one. Grabbing my bag, I almost ran to the walk-in closet to change.After a while, we were on our way to meet our client.“It’s an unusual place to set up an office, isn’t it?” I asked once we got into the car.“Yes, which is why it's not here.” Enzo said, “It’s in Seoul. Just that Lee
By the time Enzo returned, I managed to regain some of my composure.I found a movie to watch and was about to play it when I heard someone giggle near the aisle. It was right outside mine, and it was two girls, possibly in their teens, who were gushing.The brunette said, “Oh, my god. Did you look at that man? He looks like a Greek god!”“I know right!” The blonde replied, “He’s like chiseled to perfection. I’m sure he’s european!”“Probably, but wow. He’s so hot. I wonder if he would be up for a quick snog in the washroom.”I widened my eyes in amusement. Who could be this handsome hunk they were talking about?
The weekend arrived sooner than anticipated.I barely had enough time amidst all of this to process that I was going on a business trip with Enzo. What the hell! How was I going to survive it?“You're carrying your passport, right?” Enzo asked as we arrived at the airport.“Yes.” I said and pointed to my shoulder bag, “Right here.”Nodding, he walked us to the private lounge area reserved for business class passengers. We took a seat by the couch, and instead of making conversation with me, Enzo opened his laptop and started working.Although he asked me to accompany him, Enzo barely made any effort to make things less aw
Cassie’s POVNext day at the office was rather awkward. Enzo and I ended up travelling in the same lift along with Emma, yet we didn’t exchange any words. As we got off on our floor, Emma asked me,“Is Enzo okay?”“Er… yes. Why do you ask?”“He seemed grim.” She said, “Didn’t you notice the circles under his eyes?”Well, I did. And it pained to know that I was the reason for it. I wish I could help him. But how? I was the reason he was suffering. How could I alleviate his pain?“Work stress, perhaps.” I said.
I exhaled in disbelief.Enzo wanted… me? I could not believe it!“Me?” I asked, “But… you were trying to get back with Liza, weren’t you? That night when you went to her house… I thought you were-”“No, Cassie. I didn’t go there to make things right with her. I went there to permanently break things off. To tell her that her and I can never be a thing.”“Why?” I asked, “You were serious before she went abroad right? You wanted to give it a chance when she came back.”“Well, that is partly true. But things were different back then.
Cassie’s POV“Enzo?” I said, perplexed. “Leave me!”But he didn’t. Instead, he threw a nasty glare at Ryan and dragged me out of the dance floor.“Where are you taking me?” I asked but he didn’t stop nor did he respond. He just kept moving. He only stopped when we reached a dark area in the club where nobody was around.“Enzo-”“What the hell are you up to, Cassie?” He asked in a dangerous tone.“Me? I was just dancing-”“With who?” He asked, “Who was that bastard?”