Bothered

There was an unusual silence in the car. The sound of the engine and air conditioning was the only faint noise ringing in their ears. The woman then slid her thumb under her seatbelt and sat properly before glancing at the driver. "Babe? Is everything okay?" she asked in curiosity. 

Skye gripped the wheel and stepped on the gas as soon as the stoplight turned green. The speed of the car accelerated, and they went first among the other vehicles on the road. He was as if too caught up with something and didn't hear anything around him. At this point, the woman gently held his hand holding the gear. Only then did he realize that he had company. "Skye?" she called him again in a soft voice. 

"Y-yes, babe. What did you say?" Skye was like a person who had just woken up from a dream. He then glimpsed on the lady beside him with a faint smile. "What's on your mind? Is it that girl from the park?" the woman asked, raising her voice a bit. Skye licked his lips before he answered coldly, "Nah. Just tired, babe." His deep serious voice made the woman stop talking until he had finally taken her home. "Text me when you get home," the woman said before waving goodbye to him. 

With a disturbed mind caused by Cassie, Skye turned around to go to his usual spot whenever he couldn't sleep. His friend was coincidentally there, so he greeted him. It was a nice warm place with beverages and illicit cocktails with only a few people. For a wealthy and handsome CEO like him, this was an ideal to keep a low profile. "So, how's your company doing?" his friend asked, holding a glass of a potent beverage. 

Skye drank his drink at once, and the glass thudded on the tabletop. He then just stared at his glass for a while. Biting his lower lip, rage slowly formed in his heart. "She's here," he uttered with a mixture of irritation and disbelief. 

Dominic, his friend, was taken aback as if he instantly recognized who he was talking about. “What the hell? Cassie?” Skye could hear the shock in his tone. "I thought she was in the US. Did she see you?" Alarmed by this, Dominic was eager to know more about it. 

“Definitely, and she’s with a kid, probably her son, at the park,” Skye answered shortly before drinking another round. He hissed as he clenched his fist upon looking at Dominic. “She also saw Audrey,” he added with a hint of disappointment in his voice. His friend immediately covered his mouth and expressed wide eyes of fear. 

When his reaction faded, Dominic placed both hands on the tabletop and shifted his stare to Skye. "It's been five years since that night happened, isn't it? And now, she's back. I'm sure she's only on vacation with her husband," he concluded and clung to his shot glass.

Skye’s heart was beating faster than usual. He didn’t know where this feeling was coming from, but since he saw Cassie’s face again, cruel memories in the past flashed back in his mind. And he couldn’t just sit around without asking, “Why? Why is she back?” he mumbled in a deep voice as his face darkened. 

“Did you run into her husband too?” Dominic asked, curious about the encounter. Nervousness was written on his face. “Is that why you’re upset?” 

“I didn’t see Ethan with her,” Skye answered, and his friend heaved a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank God. I can’t imagine what will happen if you saw that man too,” Dominic said in his opinion. 

Skye’s phone vibrated in his pocket. 

Audrey: [Are you home yet?] 

After reading her text, Skye typed his reply lazily. He messaged her that he was already at home and only forgot to update her. “Bro, don't think about her too much. I'm sure she'll be out of the country again, and you won't see her often. It's only a coincidence," Dominic said, trying to ease his friend's bother. "I'm going home," he uttered. "You should go, too. I don't want you to be late for our meeting tomorrow," he commanded and climbed down his seat and picked his car key up. Upon leaving, Dominic replied, "Yes, CEO. I'll be there on time."

On the other hand, at Leighton's residence at the villa, Cassie kept on rolling on her bed, trying to sleep. However, it was no use. Her seeing Skye at the park continued to repeat in her mind. She groaned and removed the blanket from her face. She stared at the ceiling as she took deep breaths. Unexpectedly, someone opened the door.

Cassie sat up on her bed and looked at the one approaching. “Mom?” she called when she saw a woman. “I was right,” Evelyn folded the side of her conservative nightdress as she sat down on her bed and stared at her daughter's eyes. "Skye makes you wide awake," she gently said and tilted her head to the side. 

"I can't believe I will see him… again," Cassie said in a lower voice and looked down at her hands. She pressed her lips, having no idea of what to think. "If I was the one who saw him, I will beat the ass out of that guy," Evelyn uttered with the grit of her teeth. When Cassie heard this, she frowned and glanced back at her mother. "Why are you looking at me like that? Remember what he did to you? To our family? I didn't know how that brat managed to be at a place of rich people, but if I see him again, I swear to God…." Evelyn’s blood boiled out of anger at him while Cassie remained silent. 

She completely understood why Evelyn was so mad, but it had been a long time, and she lost count. And yet, she remembered everything, every single thing about that traumatic night. “Cassie, if ever you saw him again, don’t talk to him. That guy has no place in this family,” her mother ordered in a firm voice.