Chapter 4 Cassian Han #2
"Oh no."
Juliet completely ignored her.
"I think this means I can actually choose who I marry now."
Amara groaned.
Here we go.
Juliet immediately started counting on her fingers.
"What about Chris? He's handsome."
"He’s a stripper!"
"Then maybe Edward."
"He’s a playboy, God damn it."
"What about Ryan?"
"Our high school Janitor?"
Juliet gasped dramatically.
"Oh my God."
"What now?"
"I should make a list. A list of all the attractive men I know."
Amara dropped her head into her hands.
"Please stop."
"And then I can date them."
"No."
"All of them."
"Juliet."
Juliet pointed excitedly at the ceiling.
"One of them has to be husband material."
"That's not how this works."
Juliet paid absolutely no attention.
Then another thought suddenly entered her head.
She froze.
A mischievous smile slowly appeared on her face.
Amara immediately straightened.
"Oh no."
"What if..." Juliet said thoughtfully. "...I date multiple men at the same time?"
Amara stared at her.
"They wouldn't know about each other."
"Juliet."
"It'll be me and my harem of handsome men."
"Juliet."
Juliet's grin widened.
"And they'll all compete for my attention."
"JULIET."
Juliet burst out laughing.
The sound filled the room, bright and carefree for the first time all day.
Amara stared at her for several seconds before finally shaking her head.
"You know what? Fine."
Juliet blinked.
"Fine?"
Amara pointed at her.
"If you want to date multiple men, then date."
"Really?"
"Yes."
Juliet gasped.
"I'll even help."
"You'll help?"
"I'll personally drag you onto dates if I have to."
Juliet immediately threw her arms around her.
"You're the best friend ever."
Amara laughed and hugged her back.
"Yeah, yeah."
After a moment, she pulled away and stood from the bed.
"I'm going to your apartment to grab some clothes."
She pointed at Juliet's outfit.
"Those clothes are filthy, and you don't exactly have anything else to wear."
"You're really going to leave me here?" Juliet asked, staring at Amara in disbelief. "At Cassian's house? Do you want him to murder me in my sleep?"
Amara rolled her eyes so hard that Juliet was almost impressed.
"Oh my God, you're impossible."
"I'm serious."
"No, you're dramatic."
Juliet immediately pressed a hand to her chest.
"Me? Dramatic?" she repeated in disbelief. "Amara, that man has wanted me dead for years."
"He has not."
"He absolutely has."
With an exhausted sigh, Amara sat back down on the edge of the bed and rubbed her temples.
"Trust me, you're overestimating yourself."
Juliet gasped.
"Excuse me?"
"I'm telling you, Cassian isn't that bad."
Juliet stared at her as if she had suddenly lost all common sense.
"He doesn't hold a grudge against you," Amara continued. "Honestly, I don't even think he's coming back tonight."
That immediately caught Juliet's attention.
"What?"
Amara nodded.
"He and Elias left after making sure the doctor treated you. They seemed to be in a hurry."
She lifted a shoulder.
"I think some kind of business issue came up. Maybe a deal. Maybe an emergency. I don't know."
Juliet narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"So you're telling me he won't be here tonight?"
"I'm telling you exactly that."
"You're sure?"
"Yes."
"Completely sure?"
"Yes."
"One hundred percent sure?"
Amara groaned.
"Juliet."
"I'm just making sure."
Amara crossed her arms.
"I wouldn't lie to you."
Thinking back to earlier, she shook her head.
"Honestly, they left so fast that even I was worried something important had happened. Elias practically dragged Cassian out of the house. Whatever it is, it looked serious."
Pushing herself to her feet, she smoothed down her clothes and pointed at Juliet.
"So relax."
Juliet studied her face for several seconds, searching for any sign that she was lying.
Finally, she let out a long breath and sank back against the pillows.
"Fine."
Amara smirked.
"Good."
"I'll wait for you to come pick me up tomorrow."
"You do that."
Juliet immediately pointed a warning finger at her.
"If I wake up murdered, I'm haunting you."
Amara barked out a laugh.
"If you're haunting me, that means you're already dead, which means I won't care."
Juliet gasped dramatically.
"You are a terrible friend."
"And yet I'm still your favorite."
Before Juliet could argue, Amara leaned down and squeezed her shoulder.
"Get some sleep."
She paused at the doorway and pointed a warning finger at her.
"And try not to start a war while I'm gone."
Juliet lifted both hands innocently.
"No promises."
Amara shook her head, laughing under her breath before disappearing into the hallway.
Juliet watched her leave.
A few moments later, she heard footsteps moving down the staircase.
Then the front door opened.
Closed.
Silence followed.
She was alone.
The room suddenly felt much bigger.
Much quieter.
Juliet slowly settled deeper into the pillows and let out a long breath.
The throbbing in her forehead had faded into a dull ache. Her body still felt sore, but not nearly as bad as before.
Unfortunately, the pain in her chest hadn't faded at all.
No matter how hard she tried to push it away, Vincent's words continued echoing through her mind.
Every insult.
Every cruel remark.
Every moment he had sat there and watched people tear her apart without saying a single word.
Juliet stared blankly at the ceiling.
He had been her friend for years.
Years.
How had she never noticed?
How had she never realized that he never defended her?
Not once.
Whenever people mocked her, criticized her, laughed at her expense, he always remained silent.
A small frown appeared on her face. The realization hurt far more than the injury on her forehead.
Slowly, exhaustion began creeping over her. Her eyelids grew heavier. The events of the night started blending together.
The club.
The humiliation.
The fall.
The hospital.
Everything felt distant.
Before she knew it, sleep finally claimed her.
It wasn't a deep sleep. Just a light, restless slumber filled with scattered thoughts and uncomfortable dreams.
And it didn't last long.
A voice suddenly pulled her awake.
"She's still asleep."
Juliet's eyes snapped open.
For a split second, panic shot through her. Then she recognized the voice.
Cassian.