Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
I leave him behind with the quiet click of my heels and the echo of everything we didn’t say ringing in my ears.
The hallway outside the courtroom is colder than I expected. I don’t know if it’s the air conditioning or the weight of the moment finally sinking in, but my arms wrap around my body out of instinct. I don’t look back. I can’t.
That handshake was meant to be professional—clean, final, necessary.
But it felt like cutting a wire I wasn’t ready to admit was still connected.
I told myself this was always going to be transactional.
That what happened between us—behind doors, in stolen seconds and charged silences—was a byproduct of proximity, pressure, adrenaline.
But walking away from Axel now feels like more than ending a case.
It feels like tearing out a piece of myself and leaving it in that goddamn courtroom.
What are we now?
The question loops in my head like a record skipping on the same lyric. What are we? Because I sure as hell don’t know.
He looked at me like he was waiting for more. Like that one touch wasn’t enough. And maybe it wasn’t. For either of us .
But I can’t give him anything right now. Not clarity. Not comfort. Not love—whatever that even means in a world as warped and dangerous as his.
I keep walking.
Down the corridor, towards the bathrooms where I can hide for just a minute before facing the world again. No doubt reporters will be storming the steps, awaiting the official verdict and statement from yours truly, but somehow I can’t stomach that simple part of my job, the easiest part of all.
The hardest part? It’s knowing that I’ve fallen for a man I might never get to have.
Not really. Not safely. Not freely.
And even if he’s out of a cell, we’re both still trapped—in pasts we haven’t outrun, in choices we keep making, in whatever this thing is between us that refuses to die.
He’s free. But I’m not sure I am.
I thought winning this trial would give me peace. But it’s only raised more questions than I know how to answer.
Get yourself together.
I push open the bathroom door and let it swing shut behind me, the echo bouncing back like judgment. Cool, sterile light hums above as I stagger toward the sink, gripping the edge of the counter like it might anchor me to something solid.
I stare at my reflection. Mascara smudged slightly beneath one eye. A hairline crack in the lipstick I reapplied before the verdict. My blouse is still crisp, blazer tailored, every inch of me the image of the composed, victorious defense attorney.
But my eyes betray me.
They look hollow. Aching. Like I’m mourning something I was never allowed to claim in the first place.
Axel.
The way he looked at me before I left, that quiet devastation, buried beneath all his practiced calm, it’s burned into me now. He didn’t stop me. Didn’t say anything at all. And yet I felt it. The pull. The ache. The unspoken goodbye .
I press the heels of my hands into my eyes, willing the sting away.
This wasn’t supposed to happen.
We were never supposed to get this close. I was supposed to defend him, win, and walk away clean. Untouched. But Axel Bonanno doesn’t just touch people—he brands them.
Maybe he was right after all, I belong to The Five, in more ways than one.
I exhale sharply and reach for a paper towel, dabbing at the mascara without ruining what’s left of my dignity.
This can’t be the end.
And it sure as hell can’t be the beginning either.
So what is it? A pause. A fracture in reality. A moment suspended between choices I haven’t dared make.
Splashing cold water onto my neck, I try to soothe the sticky heat clinging to my skin.
I let out a long, weary sigh. My reflection shows a flustered mess; hair tousled, eyes rimmed with exhaustion.
Through the faint hum of the bathroom tiles, I can hear the chaos of reporters just beyond the doors, their voices rising in anticipation.
But I shut it all out. Instead, my mind drifts deeper than I expected, circling relentlessly around Axel and what comes next.
My thoughts coil and twist relentlessly in my mind. Was I nothing more than a distraction to him? A conquest—marked and claimed—only to be discarded now that the trial was over? The possibility settles like a stone in my chest, dragging me down with that familiar, sharp sting of disappointment.
But I have to fight those dark spirals. I can’t afford to think like that.
This was just a job, a case I didn’t choose, but one I had to take.
Now it’s done. The courtroom doors have closed behind us both, and for the first time in a long time, I’m free.
Maybe that freedom is all either of us can hold onto right now.
Snapping myself out of it, I remind myself that pining after a dangerous man like Axel is a fool’s game. I don’t have the luxury of heartbreak. My eyes lock onto my reflection, searching for some sign of strength beneath the fatigue.
I straighten up, roll my shoulders back, and take one final look at myself. I’ve worn a thousand masks in my life. One more won’t kill me. But walking away from him just might.
Taking a steadying breath, I push open the bathroom door—and immediately run into a solid wall. Aiden Daniels.
“You just can’t help yourself, can you?” he sneers, stepping deliberately into my path.
That smug, infuriating grin curls on his lips like he’s savoring every second of this—like it’s a game only he knows how to win.
“It’s like you thrive on tearing this city apart.
Fucking over the good guys while acting like you’re the savior. ”
I meet his gaze, cold and steady. “And you think you’re one of the ‘good guys,’ huh?”
He shrugs, unbothered.
“At least I have the guts to admit when I’m coloring outside the lines,” he sneers “Unlike you, always pretending there are rules you don’t break.”
His words sting, but I refuse to show it. This isn’t about him or me, it’s the war we’re both caught in. Neither of us is innocent.
He steps closer, invading my space, and I suck in a sharp breath. My eyes dart down the empty corridor, but there’s no one else around to witness this.
“Daniels, the trial is over. Save your mind games for another day,” I snap, irritation sharp in my voice. I’m drained, and the last thing I need is his venom pressed against me. I try to sidestep, but he matches my move, blocking me again.
He leans in, breath hot and sour against my cheek. I wince instinctively as he snarls, “Mark my words, Caruthers. He’ll get his comeuppance.”
For a heartbeat, we stand frozen, his words sinking into me like poison. I know Daniels doesn’t have shit on Axel, but even with that in the forefront of my mind, I’m still left with the gnawing unease that this isn’t over.
Satisfied, he spins on his heel and disappears down the hall.
I finally exhale, letting my shoulders drop. Today is over. For now.
I t’s been a long week since Axel’s trial ended.
A quiet emptiness lingers, the kind that settles when someone who should be there isn’t.
It’s only been five days since I last saw him and with my work as his attorney officially done, I have no real reason to reach out, no excuse to see him again.
Still, a part of me aches for him, though I doubt he feels the same.
We haven’t made any effort to contact each other, and all week I’ve debated whether I should be the one to make the first move. But the more I think about it, the clearer it becomes: he’s wrong for me. As much as he makes me feel alive, nothing good could ever come from us.
I shovel cereal into my mouth like a starving animal when Lexie enters the living room.
Her hair is wild and untamed, which makes me laugh.
She’s usually so put together, but today dark circles shadow her eyes, and she yawns like she hasn’t slept in days, even though she was in bed before me last night.
“You look like shit,” I say around a mouthful.
“Jeez, thanks!” she shoots back, slumping down beside me.
“What’s up?” I set my bowl on the coffee table and watch her closely. She’s restless, avoiding my eyes.
She drags a hand down her face and sinks deeper into the cushions with a tired sigh.
“Just didn’t sleep well.”
“Work?”
“Something like that,” she murmurs, her voice low and guarded, a clear signal she doesn’t want to talk about it. So I don’t push. Instead, I pull her into a gentle hug. I’m one of the few people she lets comfort her, and even though she still feels a little awkward about it, I can’t help myself.
“You still not spoken to Cooper?” she mumbles against my shoulder. I pull back and wrap my arms around myself. It’s been two weeks since I caught him in bed with someone else, and aside from quietly retrieving a few of my things, I haven’t spoken to him since.
Honestly, I don’t think there’s anything left to say.
We’ve both clearly moved on. Cooper might have moved on before me, but I made no qualms about jumping into bed with Axel.
I can’t exactly be mad at him when I did the same, but I always sensed he’d been seeing other women behind my back far longer than that one incident.
“No, that’s definitely done,” I say, my gaze distant, fixed on nothing. “I just need to get the rest of my stuff without running into him.”
“I’ll come with you,” Lexie offers softly, resting a hand on my arm.
“Thanks.” I need all the support I can get. After seven years, I’m not sure I even believe what we had was real anymore.
She breaks away just as my phone rings from the coffee table. She glances at it and points to the private number flashing on the screen. I know exactly who it is—the one person who always hides behind a private number.
“Axel,” I sigh as I answer the call.
Lexie strolls into the kitchen, pouring herself some coffee, and scoffs. “You fucked him, and now he wants more? Damn, girl!”
I wave her off with a quick hand and a hushed, “Shut up!” before bringing the phone to my ear. “Hello?”
His deep voice fills the line, abrupt and direct. “Do you have any plans tonight?”
“Oh, I’m fine, thanks for asking,” I reply with a heavy dose of sarcasm. A low growl rumbles through the speaker, vibrating against my ear and down my spine. I shift nervously on the couch and switch the phone to the other ear, feeling the heat coil between my legs.
“Smart mouth,” he grumbles. “I wanna take you out to dinner.”
His words hit me like a jolt. My mouth drops open, helpless, like a fish gasping for air. Silence stretches between us, and then I realize it’s my turn to respond.
“What for?” I manage, voice trembling.
“Because I want to,” he says flatly. Axel makes it sound so obvious, like it should have been the first thing on my mind, but the kindness in his tone unsettles me.
I go to protest. It’s not that I wouldn’t like it. I’ve already made up my mind that there’s too much raw sexual tension between us to pretend otherwise. We’ll probably end up in the same mess as last weekend. Naked and sated.
“Cassie?” he cuts in, voice calm, almost tender, and I shiver at the unexpected softness.
Before I can say more, Lexie appears beside me, whispering way too loud, “What does he want?”
I cover the mouthpiece with my hand and mouth quietly, “To take me out.”
Lexie’s eyes light up, and she grinds her hips playfully against the couch arm. Considering her usual objections to The Five, she seems way too thrilled about the idea of me going out with Axel.
I roll my eyes as she playfully spanks the air. Enough .
“Okay, what time?” I ask, forcing cheer into my voice.
“I’ll pick you up at seven,” he states more than suggests, but I swear I can hear the smile in his voice.
“See you then,” I stammer, nerves prickling my palms. Suddenly, I don’t know why I’m this rattled.
Until Axel drops the line that cements everything.
“It’s a date. ”
The line goes dead before I can object, the dial tone humming in my ear as Lexie lets out exaggerated moans beside me. I stare at her, speechless.
“Did he just say ‘it’s a date’?” she asks, practically bouncing beside me.
I nod, my voice barely a whisper as it echoes her excitement. “Uh-huh.”