3

Isadora’s POV

I stayed in bed all day.

No one disturbed me, thank god. They probably assumed I was nursing a hangover—or pretending to.

By dinner, there was a knock.

“Hey, Izzy,” Damian said gently through the door. “You okay? You’ve skipped every meal today.”

“I’m fine,” I lied under the covers, voice muffled.

“Come on. Just join us for dinner.”

Of course, he didn’t come alone.

Alessia chimed in next. “Isadora! Come eat with us!”

And then—because fate hated me—my mother joined the chorus too. I was officially outnumbered.

So I dragged myself to the table, sat down, and hoped no one would speak to me.

Cassian sat beside Alessia, dutifully cutting her steak like she was some helpless debutante.

“Cassian,” Alessia cooed, “I can cut my own food. I’m not a child.”

She said it like a joke.

Cassian’s gaze snapped to mine—sharp, burning. “You’re my girlfriend. Who else would I be taking care of?”

I focused on my steak like it was the most fascinating thing I’d ever seen. But their performance was impossible to ignore.

They were practically glued together. Whispering. Touching. Kissing. Playing the happy new couple like they were auditioning for a reality show.

The rest of us sat in awkward silence.

Until Damian slammed his fork down.

“Would it kill you to have some manners?” he snapped. “There are other people at this table.”

Alessia giggled, saccharine and smug. “Oh, don’t mind us. We’re just in that phase—you know, newly together, can’t keep our hands off each other.” Then she turned her attention to me, voice sugary sweet. “And we owe it all to Isadora. If it weren’t for her, Cassian and I wouldn’t be together this fast.”

She raised her glass. “To Isadora—the matchmaker.”

She winked.

It looked cute. But I knew a dagger when I saw one.

I smiled back, effortless. “Of course. You two deserve each other.”

I clinked my glass against hers.

Cheers to hell.

The look that flickered across her face—brief and irritated—was almost worth it.

I stood, pushing my chair back with grace. “I’m full. If you’ll excuse me…”

And just like that, I walked out.

…

Damian found me later that night, pacing like a storm with nowhere to go.

“You saw what happened,” he snapped. “How could Cassian do that? In front of you. In front of me. Like we’re strangers.”

He punched the side of the bed, teeth clenched. “He knew. He always knew how you felt about him. And yet he stood there, flaunting Alessia like some trophy.”

“Damian, let it go.” My voice was quiet. Steady. “I don’t like Cassian anymore.”

That stopped him.

“You… don’t?”

“Nope.” I smiled, leaning back on the pillows like it was old news. “There are plenty of good men out there, right? Don’t you have other handsome, emotionally functional friends? Introduce me to them. I’m officially taking applications.”

He blinked, then grinned wide. “I told you! Why waste your time pining over Cassian when there’s a buffet of better men out there?”

He threw his arms around me in a bear hug.

“Actually,” he said, pulling back, eyes lighting up, “you remember that guy Mom and Dad tried to set you up with? The one they said was perfect for you—and who could totally help boost the casino biz?”

I raised a brow. “Who?”

“Kai Drenner.” Damian’s grin widened. “His empire? Ten times bigger than Cassian’s. Arms, clubs, entertainment. The guy basically sneezes and a million-dollar deal happens. He’s not based in NYC full-time, but guess what? He’s in town. Right now.”

My heart skipped. “Seriously?”

“I’ll text you his number. Hell, I’ll set up the meeting myself. You want dinner? Or something more private?” He winked.

I typed Kai’s name into my phone and felt it—relief. Real, clean, undeniable relief.

Letting go of Cassian had once seemed like the hardest thing in the world.

Now it felt like freedom.

This time, I wasn’t chasing a man who didn’t want me. I was choosing a future—for myself, and for my son.

…

The next morning, Alessia cornered me with a too-bright smile.

“You don’t mind if we move in for a bit, do you?” she asked, arm looped through Cassian’s like they were on a honeymoon. “Cassian redesigned his house for me, but it’s still under renovation. And hotels are so… impersonal.”

“Of course,” I said, my voice smooth and cool as glass. “Make yourselves at home.”

Our houses were in the same neighborhood—Cassian’s mansion just two streets over. Letting them stay here was efficient and strategic. It saved time and effort. Besides, business ties still mattered, after all, and I wasn’t about to burn a bridge just because I didn’t want a personal one.

Cassian played the role of perfect boyfriend. He hired a moving team to handle everything. Packed, shipped, and unpacked within hours.

I stood by the stairs, watching him from the corner of my eye. And for a brief, shameful moment, my mind drifted back—to another version of this life.

After that one reckless night with him, he’d sent Alessia to France like she was fragile and couldn’t handle the truth. Then he joined her there, vanishing from my life like I was a mistake that needed to stay hidden.

When they returned five years later, I was still the dirty little secret.

Cassian had always looked at me like I was beneath him. Like I was lucky to even breathe the same air.

He never looked at me the way he looked at her.

I turned to head up the stairs when I heard the sharp thump-thump-thump of someone falling.

Alessia. She tumbled down the stairs in a dramatic, sweeping roll, landing at the bottom with a sharp cry.

Cassian was by her side in seconds.

She burst into sobs, her face buried in his chest… until she turned her head toward me.

Pouting. Innocent. Dangerous.

“Why would you push me, Isadora?” she whimpered. “I thought we were welcome here… Why would you go and do something like that?”

“What?” I blinked. “I didn’t—”

“Enough!” Cassian’s voice cracked through the hall like a whip. “I told you to quit playing these games. If we’re not welcome, we’ll leave tonight.”

He scooped her into his arms, jaw tight, and stalked off.

And Alessia, she just turned her head on his shoulder and smiled at me. That smug, superior, bitch smile that said, I won.

…

Later that night, I heard a knock at my door.

Cassian.

“Do you still have that diamond necklace I gave you on your eighteenth birthday?” he asked.

I blinked, surprised. “Yes.”

“Do you mind lending it to Alessia? We’ve got a formal dinner, and she didn’t have time to shop.”

I paused, then turned to my jewelry box.

“Sure,” I said, retrieving the delicate velvet case. “Here.”

The necklace—the only gift he’d ever given me—used to be my most treasured possession.

Now? It was just glass and gold. Even if Alessia never returned it, I wouldn’t miss it.