Chapter 19
The drive back felt shorter than it should have.
My pulse had steadied, but the confrontation with Mason still sat sharp behind my ribs.
Every now and then, I glanced in the rearview mirror, watching Jackson.
His legs swung idly, thumbs busy on his handheld game, the tiny electronic beeps filling the silence.
No signs of upset. Just a kid wrapped up in his own little world.
By the time I pulled into my parents’ driveway, the late afternoon light had softened, throwing long gold shadows across the yard.
Clara was waiting at the door when I pulled in. Jackson barely had his bag slung over his shoulder before she crouched down in front of him.
“Hey, buddy,” she said softly, brushing his hair back. “Your dad and I… we need to work some things out. So for now, you’ll be staying full-time here, with me, at Grandma and Grandpa’s. Okay?”
Jackson nodded like it didn’t matter, already asking if Grandma had pie left. He bolted inside before either of us could say more.
Clara’s eyes found mine. “Thank you. I’m sorry I dragged you into this. I know it’s not fair...”
“Don’t,” I cut her off. “Don’t ever thank me for that. You’re my sister. I’ve got your back. I will always choose to protect you and Jackson.”
Her smile was small, but it carried a hundred unspoken things. I pulled her into a hug, holding on longer than I usually did.
Part of me believed Mason when he swore he wasn’t having a physical affair, but that didn’t erase the damage. Why wasn’t he listening to Clara? Why couldn’t he see what he was doing to her? Was it ego? Pride? Some warped belief that she’d just “get over it” if he ignored the problem long enough?
I’d never get people who swore emotional affairs weren’t cheating.
Handing over your time, your attention, the best parts of yourself to someone who isn’t yours, that was betrayal.
Friends didn’t blur that line. But the way that girl looked at Mason, sitting smug in his passenger seat, told me she knew damn well what she was doing.
And maybe my own guilt made me hate her more.
.. made me hate him more too. Because if being the other woman had taught me anything, it was how easy it was to pretend your choices didn’t wreck somebody else’s life. No matter how it started.
The smell of coffee and fresh bread hit me as soon as I stepped into the kitchen.
Mom and Dad were in the kitchen, mugs of coffee between them, deep in conversation. They both looked up when I slid into a chair.
“I have decided... I’m going to move back,” I said, before they could ask how the exchange went.
Dad’s brows lifted, and there was a hopeful lilt to his voice. “Permanently?”
“My boss asked me to stay through Christmas,” I said.
Mom looked concerned, "Cassidy, you don't have to stay just because she asked you to. Chase told us why he stayed at your place. Is Andrew harassing you? Do we need to get a restraining order in place to protect you?"
“I am going to stay and help out, Abby, Mom. I have worked with her for a few years now, and it will be better for her if she can hire and train someone in January. I talked to my superintendent, and I changed my locks again. He’ll keep an eye out for Andrew.
I’ll change my number, make sure everyone has the new one.
If it gets to be too much…” I shrugged, trying to be casual about something that was anything but. “I’ll leave sooner.”
Mom’s frown didn’t ease. “I still don’t like it. You should be safe here with your family.”
“I will be, soon,” I promised, giving her my best reassuring smile that I wasn't even sure that I believed.
We sat in a small weighted silence before she asked, “Why didn’t you think you could talk to us about any of this?”
I picked at the seam in my leggings, unsure how to have this conversation.
But it had been clear with everything going on that secrets and lies only led to pain and heartbreak.
“Because I’ve always felt like I was living in the shadow of my perfect family.
You and Dad raised two golden kids… and then me.
I thought I was building a life for myself outside of that, and I thought that’s what I wanted.
” I huffed a humourless laugh. “It went… horribly wrong.”
My parents looked like they had been struck, "Cassidy, if we have ever done anything to make you feel less than..."
I cut my father off, "No, Dad... It's not you.
It's everything. The whole town... Do you know that I have had guys want to date me, not for me, but for my last name?
People have our family on this pedestal, and sometimes it's hard to keep my balance.
" I sighed and kept going. "Chase always knew he wanted to be a doctor like you, Dad.
Clara has always been everything to everyone, good at everything she has done, like you, Mom.
You each got a perfect copy of yourselves, and then five years later got.
.. me. I just... I just wanted to see who I was beyond what everyone in this town expects me to be.
Sometimes it feels like I can't have a bad day.
.. a bad moment, that I have to smile through it all.
.. I have to be this sunshine pretty thing. .. and I..."
My mom reached for my hand, "Cassidy..."
I swallowed down my tears. I didn't want to make my parents feel bad, but I wanted them to understand me.
"I love our family so much, and I hate that I must sound like a spoiled brat.
.. but I just wanted to see what I could do on my own.
Earn it, you know... I met Andrew, and he pursued me so intensely.
.. I thought it was about me, only me; he didn't know who my family was.
I thought he saw me and loved me for me.
.." I felt like everything was coming out in choked fragments, speaking what I had felt out loud shone a light on what had actually been true.
My dad shifted his chair closer to mine, grabbing my other hand, "Cassidy Morgan, you are the furthest from spoiled.
You work so hard at everything you do, and I am sorry if you think people don't see you for who you are.
We know how incredible you are. And we couldn't be happier that you are not just the perfect blend of your mom and me, but you are uniquely you. "
I pushed the topic away before it could pull me under. “I won’t stay here long. I’ve been wanting to buy a house or build one for a while. Once I’m back and things settle, I’ll start looking.”
“You don’t have to rush,” Dad said. “We love having all our kids home. You are only 24, Cassidy, you can take some time to figure out what you want.”
“I love being home,” I admitted, “but I want my own place. To pay my own way. I know what I want. I just had to find out the hard way that I could build it myself instead of having someone give it to me.”
Mom’s gaze sharpened. “Is that why you refused help in school? Even with a double major in English and Business, you still worked?”
I nodded, feeling something loosen in my chest. “I wanted to earn my own way.”
Her next question landed heavier. “Then why won’t you write your own books? Put your name on something? You’ve got contacts in publishing, and if that doesn’t work, you can self-publish.”
“Because maybe I don’t have a story worth telling,” I admitted quietly.
Silence fell again, heavier this time.
I couldn't meet their eyes, but I knew Mom and Dad were having a silent conversation across the table.
“Why hasn’t Clara found a place yet?” I asked finally.
My parents exchanged a look. “That’s for her to tell you.”
“Because I need the divorce finalized,” Clara’s voice came from behind me.
I turned to find her in the doorway, arms crossed.
“And for Mason to sell the house so I can have enough for a down payment. He’s been so obsessed with being bigger and better that even though both businesses are doing well, we have nothing to show for it. ”
“I could give you the money,” I offered.
She shook her head. “I’m done. I have a call with my lawyer in a few minutes.
I’m disputing mediation, going for sole custody, and pushing for the divorce to be finalized.
She’s already on the Ring camera at our house.
My lawyer’s going to pull footage from both the business and the house.
I can’t keep living in this… whatever this is. ”
Her voice trembled on the last words, but her chin stayed high.
I stood and moved towards her, wrapping her in my arms. "We will get through this together. I will help you with whatever you need." I whispered.
"It hurts so much." She cried into my shoulder.
The ache in my chest sharpened. The shame burned bright. I knew Clara said she didn't think of me any differently and that our situations weren't the same... but weren't they. I was causing someone else pain. I was breaking apart a family... I...
I held her tighter, knowing there was no going back, but that I had to be stronger, I had to move forward. I needed to be exactly who I dreamed of myself being, not just for me, but for my family, too.