Chapter Thirty Nine
Leo Speaks Up
The early evening sun cast golden light through the tall windows of the Kings Hotel’s executive lounge, where Cassie sat nursing an espresso and skimming updates from the Seychelles resort team. Her phone buzzed again, this time with a simple message
Leo: Can we talk? I owe you that.
Her first instinct was hesitation. Not because she feared what he’d say, but because she already had a hunch. And that made her heart hurt more.
Cassie: I’ll be in the winter garden. 30 minutes.
The space was quiet, designed for calm. A small waterfall trickled nearby, and late-blooming orchids filled the air with delicate fragrance. Cassie sat beneath a white parasol, wearing linen slacks and a loose blouse, her face unreadable.
Leo approached a few minutes later, dressed in slacks and a light blue button-up. He looked uncomfortable. Tired. But determined.
“Hi,” he said.
“Hi.”
He sat across from her, exhaling slowly. “You look... different.”
“I feel different.”
A pause.
“I read the press statement. And saw the photo of you and Grayson at the launch.”
Cassie arched a brow. “This isn’t about Grayson.”
Leo nodded. “I know.”
A longer silence stretched between them.
“I knew,” he said finally. “Not everything. But enough. Enough to know something was wrong.”
Cassie stayed quiet.
“I saw Damien leaving her place once. Late. And they weren’t exactly discreet at a few charity galas. I overheard a few things.”
She swallowed. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
He winced. “Because I wasn’t sure. And because, if I’m being honest I thought it wasn’t my place. Damien was my friend. And you were...”
“I was his wife,” she said quietly. “Not just someone.”
“I know,” he said. “And I’m sorry. I should’ve told you the moment I saw that first red flag.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Because I was a coward. And because I thought you’d figure it out eventually. I told myself maybe it was a phase. Maybe you knew and chose to look away. I thought I was protecting everyone by staying out of it.”
Cassie’s hands were folded in her lap. “You weren’t.”
“I see that now.”
The sound of the waterfall filled the silence again.
Leo leaned forward. “But I did start distancing myself. From him. From Kelly. I couldn’t look at you and not feel like a traitor. That’s why I stepped back.”
She met his gaze, finally.
“I don’t hate you,” she said. “But you hurt me by staying silent.”
He nodded, ashamed. “I know. And I’ll live with that. I just needed you to hear it from me. That I regret it. That I wish I’d done better.”
Cassie’s voice was softer now. “You could’ve changed the timeline. Not the ending. But maybe I’d have walked away sooner.”
“I know.”
She took a breath, then offered a small, sad smile. “But I also know that people make mistakes. And some, if they’re brave enough to admit them, deserve a second chance.”
Leo blinked. “So... we’re okay?”
“We’re not what we were,” she said honestly. “But maybe we’ll be something new.”
He nodded, deeply grateful. “I’d like that.”
They sat for a moment longer in companionable silence.
“You’re really happy with him?” Leo asked after a beat.
“I’m learning how to be happy with myself first,” Cassie replied. “But Grayson helps me remember who I am. And who I want to be.”
Leo smiled. “Then I hope he knows how lucky he is.”
“I remind him often.”
They laughed. And for the first time in years, Cassie and Leo didn’t feel like shadows of the past. They felt like people finally walking forward.