I got home, feeling like I’d just won a war. Sure, the summit went my way, but I wasn’t delusional enough to think it was over. I could feel the tension still hanging in the air, thick as smoke.
I was just about to kick off my heels when my mother stormed in. She didn’t even knock.
“You think you’ve won?” she hissed, “You’ve made a huge mistake, Cassandra!”
Before I could even respond, her hand shot out and slapped me across the face. The sting burned, but the anger it ignited in me was worse.
“What the hell, Mom?” My hand instinctively going to my cheek.
“You’re throwing your life away. Drake is your mate, Cassandra. He was always meant to be yours.”
I blinked. Was she serious? Was she really standing here, siding with the guy who had betrayed me like it was nothing? I couldn’t even speak, I was so stunned.
“Mom, stop,” I finally managed though the anger was bubbling under the surface. “Drake is not my mate anymore! He’s nothing but a liar and a cheat. I’m done.”
She narrowed her eyes, and her jaw tight. “You think you’re in control, but you’re not. I’ve already made arrangements. Another family, another beta. It’s time for you to do your duty. You will marry someone who can bring stability.”
“What?!” My heart was hammering in my chest. “I don’t care who you’ve set up. I’m not marrying anyone just to make you happy. I’m not a pawn, Mom!”
But she wasn’t listening. She turned on her heel and left without another word, leaving me standing there, fuming and heartbroken all over again.
I slammed the door behind her and let out a long, shaky breath.
I ignored everything. I ignored the ringing phone, the endless texts, the emails that were flooding in. But there was no escaping the aftermath.
Walking into my room, I froze. His stuff was everywhere. Drake’s scent, his presence, his mark on my life—it was all too much. His jacket hanging on the back of the door, the stupid framed photo of us from our anniversary that I had never even liked, the cufflinks he left on my dresser…
I didn’t even hesitate.
I started grabbing everything and tossing it in the trash. His stupid things were nothing but reminders of a past I wanted to burn.
His cologne bottle? In the trash. The fancy watch he gave me for Christmas? You guessed it—in the trash. I wasn’t going to keep anything that had anything to do with him.
When I finally finished, my room was empty of all his traces. It felt like I could finally breathe again. I collapsed onto my bed, exhausted, staring up at the ceiling.
But my mind wouldn’t shut off. Memories crept in like an unwelcome guest, dragging me back to the beginning.
I remembered how sweet Drake used to be. He wasn’t rich when we started dating. The gifts he bought me weren’t expensive, but I didn’t care. It was the thought that counted, right? He used to surprise me with little things—a bracelet he saved up for, my favorite snacks when I had a bad day, a handwritten note tucked into my bag.
“Happy anniversary, baby. Sorry it’s not much, but one day I’ll give you the world.”
Back then, I believed him.
And the dates—simple, perfect dates. A picnic in the park with food he made himself, movie marathons where he fell asleep halfway through, even just sitting in the car, talking for hours. He made me feel special, like I was his entire world.
“Three years, Cassandra,” he’d said once on my birthday, holding out a cupcake with a single candle. “Three years, and I still can’t believe I get to call you mine.”
God, I was stupid.
Then Melanie showed up. She walked into his life, applying to be his secretary, and suddenly everything changed. At first, I didn’t want to believe it. She was always around, always finding excuses to call him, text him, spend extra hours in his office.
But I acted blind. I told myself I was overthinking it. Drake would never betray me. I loved him. I trusted him.
“Babe, you know you’re the only one I care about,” he’d say when I voiced my doubts. And I believed him. Again and again.
I let it slide when he forgot our next anniversary. When he skipped my birthday dinner because ‘work was crazy.’ When he started coming home late, smelling like her perfume.
Five years. Five fucking years I wasted on him. And it took me that long to finally see the truth.
I pulled out my phone, hoping for some peace, but of course, there was no such thing.
Drake. Melanie. Both blowing up my inbox with a barrage of angry messages. I couldn’t help but laugh. It felt good.
“Do you really think you can get away with this?”
“You’ll regret this, Cassandra. You belong with me.”
“We’ll ruin you.”
I stared at the screen, shaking my head. I used to cry over messages like these. Not anymore.
I tossed my phone onto the nightstand.
They were delusional. I blocked both of their numbers in one swift move. No more of their lies, no more of their bullshit. I was done.
I thought that would be it. I thought I’d won. I thought I could relax.
But then, my phone buzzed with an email. The title read: Urgent: Investors Pulling Back.
