40. Cassian
Cassian
Rain beats on the metal roof of the stables like it’s a snare drum. I needed to escape the house, or rather the people inside it, and since it’s been pouring all morning, I can’t work outside.
I feed Rhya another sugar cube and give her one more pat on the neck. “You’re a good girl,” I murmur, stroking her velvety nose. “I’m going to miss you.”
I don’t know what’s going to happen after the wedding, but I can’t imagine I’ll visit Belgrave much, especially not while Viv and Landon are here.
Being forced to watch them for the past four days has been hard enough.
Once they’re married, it’ll just be that much worse. God forbid he gets her pregnant.
The morning after our conversation in the kitchen, when I was arguably too drunk to be having any conversation, let alone that particular one, I found the plate from my dad’s house washed and sitting on the counter.
I nearly sagged in relief. At least she’s still eating.
We haven’t talked since then, and I don’t know if she’s avoiding me or if Landon is keeping her too busy.
Either way, I’m counting the hours until that guy goes back to the city, where he belongs.
As I’m scratching Rhya, I notice a tick near her ear. “I’ll be right back,” I tell her, and head to the tack room for some needle-nose pliers. Before I can grab them, I hear the stable door open, followed by Viv’s voice.
“Leave me alone, Landon.” Irritation coats her words, and I immediately move to protect her, but his posh voice stops me at the doorway.
“Viv, just let me explain.”
Neither of them can see me, and if I walk out now, it’s only going to make things fifty times more awkward than they already are.
Landon’s supposed to leave in three days, but if he thinks I’m some kind of threat to his relationship, he may stick around.
I can’t afford to take that chance, but I’m also not going to leave Viv alone with him if she’s scared.
“Are you going to tell me those pictures were photoshopped?” she says.
My heart drops to my toes at the pain in her voice.
“They weren’t.” Landon sounds contrite, but the guy could be a great actor for all I know.
“Then what is there to explain?”
“You weren’t there,” he says.
Viv’s laugh is sharp and cutting. “Does that somehow make it okay?”
I know I should leave, but my feet are glued to the floor. There’s no way in hell I’m moving until I know exactly what is going on. If he hurt her, he’ll be returning to the city in a casket.
“Of course not.” Landon sounds exhausted. I relish the idea of slamming the wanker into the ground with my fist. “What I meant was, you weren’t there, and this relationship isn’t exactly a real one.”
“Not real?” Viv says. “I’m planning to marry you in a few weeks, and you’re telling me it’s not real?”
His sigh fills the barn. “You know what I mean. I’m under no illusion that you love me, and I—”
“Don’t love me,” she finishes in a monotone.
The wood of the doorframe splinters in my hand with a sharp crack. If he can’t see that Viv is the best thing to ever walk the planet, he’s an even bigger idiot than I thought.
“I do love you,” Landon says. “Just not in that way.”
“Spare me your pity,” she says. “I was fully aware of what I was signing up for when we made this agreement.”
One of the horses whinnies. It seems I’m not the only one who thinks their little “agreement” is bullshit.
“Then why are you so upset about this?” he asks.
“Because you made me look like a fool,” Viv says, her voice rising.
“Those photos were never meant to be leaked.”
I risk a peek around the corner. Landon is standing with his hands on his hips, his perfectly styled hair not so perfect anymore after running through the rain. Viv is facing him, arms crossed over her chest, wearing a scowl that could strip the paint off a car.
Good girl. Don’t let him get away with whatever he did.
“They wouldn’t have been taken in the first place if you’d used discretion,” she snaps.
I pull out my phone to do a quick Google search.
While the page loads—the service inside the barn sucks—I imagine what I’ll find.
Landon passed out drunk on the floor of a shitty bar.
Landon with a high-class escort in lingerie.
Landon shit-faced and angry, yelling at a police officer.
I would be okay with any of the above, except for one single thing.
They all reflect badly on his fiancée.
“Well, they were, and there’s nothing we can do about it,” Landon says.
The results from my search load, and my blood freezes in my veins.
Pictures of Landon leaving a restaurant fill the screen.
He has his arm slung around the shoulders of a woman who is definitely not Vivienne.
She’s shorter, blonde, and is wearing way too much makeup.
They’re laughing together, and one shot shows them kissing.
“Did you sleep with her?” Viv asks.
There’s a pause as we both wait for his response. Finally, he says, “It’s complicated.”
“Then uncomplicate it for me.” Viv’s tone is cutting. “Did you, or did you not, have sex with that woman?”
I imagine Landon running his hand through his hair, trying to find a way out of this mess. I hate what this is going to do to Viv, but good riddance. At least we’ll finally be done with the bastard.
“Yes.” The word rings through the barn, and I want to slug him so hard he sees stars.
“Unbelievable,” Viv says. “How could you be so stupid as to go out in public with her?”
“You’re right. It was an idiotic mistake. One that will never happen again,” he says. “The only thing we can do now is try to move on. Your dad will have the articles taken down within the hour.”
“Move on?” Viv says. “How am I supposed to move on when you cheated on me in front of the whole world?”
I scrunch my eyes shut. My hands tremble as I slide the phone back into my pocket.
Viv has every right to be mad. What I don’t understand is why they’re out here talking about this when Landon should be on his way back to the city with his tail between his legs.
Once I get my hands on him, he’ll be begging for his life.
“How is it cheating when we’re not even together like that?” he asks.
I have to force my feet to stay where they are, or else I’d be ripping his throat out right now.
“We’re getting married!” Viv says. “How much more ‘together’ do you want?”
Do not answer that, I urge him. If you make any sexual innuendos, I will kill you right now.
“Listen to me, Vivienne.” Footsteps scuff on the concrete floor. “I’ll break it off with her, okay? She doesn’t mean anything to me, not really. I was just missing you, and—”
“And she was conveniently there?” Viv snaps.
“Yeah,” Landon says. “Kind of the way Cassian is conveniently here whenever you need him.”
I clench my fists tighter and will myself to stay where I am. Nothing good will come from rearranging the guy’s face right now.
“What are you talking about?” Viv says. “Cass and I are friends, nothing more.”
Landon’s laugh is cynical. “You expect me to believe that? I’ve seen the way he looks at you, Viv. Don’t tell me he wouldn’t sleep with you if given the chance.”
“The difference is he never has.”
He lets out a heavy sigh. “Fine. What will it take for you to forgive me so we can work this out?”
“How do I know you won’t do this again after we’re married?” Viv says, her voice quiet.
“I give you my word.”
Your word is shit, mate.
There’s a several-second pause, and I glance around the corner again. Viv is standing with her fingers pressed to her temples. Landon looks genuinely concerned that his engagement is going up in smoke, and he should be, because his visit here is over.
“Please give me some time,” she says. “I need to think.”
He nods, then turns and leaves the barn. I’m glad to see him go, but what the fuck is Viv doing? She needs time to think? Think about what? The guy just cheated on her and publicly humiliated her. The only thing to do is send him packing and cancel the caterer.
I debate whether or not to reveal myself. If Viv is seriously considering staying with that bastard, maybe I can talk some sense into her.
She moves down the center aisle, and I lose sight of her. A latch clicks, and I imagine her stepping into Rhya’s stall and stroking her mane. Seconds later, the unmistakable sound of crying fills the stables.
A metal claw tears my chest open and rips out my heart.
I’m halfway there when I stop myself. My presence will only make her more miserable. If I can’t promise her forever, I shouldn’t be the one to comfort her, no matter how loudly every muscle in my body is screaming at me to do exactly that.
I want to pull her into my arms and tell her how much I love her, how I would never cheat on her in a million years, how I would spend the rest of my life making her happy if I thought I could. But what I want doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is what she needs.
Which isn’t me reminding her of what she can’t have.