CHAPTER 23

Athena's POV

When I arrive at Cassian's loft, Hailee looks surprised to see me. “He’s upstairs in his studio,” she says. I head up the stairs and find the door to his studio open, so I don’t need to knock. Cassian doesn’t hear me come in; he’s engrossed in painting with his AirPods on. I could watch him all day—he looks so perfect, so absorbed in his work.

I stand there for a few more minutes until he glances up and his face lights up with a deep, genuine smile. The happiness in his eyes makes my heart flutter.

“Hey, sorry, I didn’t hear you come in,” he says, setting down his paintbrush and removing his AirPods.

“You looked so engrossed, I didn’t want to interrupt,” I reply, pointing at his painting. “What are you working on?”

“You’ll see it when I’m done,” he says, his smile widening.

Just then, a woman with a thick French accent walks out of the bathroom in a towel that barely covers her. I remember her, she was with him at the auction. My stomach drops and I feel a wave of nausea.