Chapter 8 Alexa
It was nearly three in the morning when Cassian finally pulled away.
The room fell into a quiet silence, broken only by the sound of their uneven breathing.
Juliet remained sitting on the bed as Cassian pushed himself to his feet. He reached for his trousers and pulled them on before straightening to his full height.
Her breath caught.
The movement drew her attention to him, and for a moment, she couldn't look away.
His broad shoulders and muscular back came fully into view, and her eyes instantly widened. The sight sent an unexpected wave of heat rushing to her cheeks. Her heart started pounding even harder.
His back was covered in scratch marks.
There were so many of them that she could barely see any untouched skin beneath the angry red lines left by her nails. The marks stretched across his shoulders and down his back, making it painfully obvious just how rough the previous night had been.
A deep blush spread across her face.
The memories came flooding back one after another, and suddenly she realized just how completely she had lost control.
Throughout the entire night, she had clung to him desperately, and now, seeing the evidence of it on his body, she felt both embarrassed and flustered.
Her face burned so badly that she couldn't even bring herself to keep looking at him.
With his back still turned toward her, Cassian spoke without warning, his deep voice breaking the silence of the room.
"You're moving into my house."
Juliet blinked.
Before she could respond, he continued in the same calm yet unquestionable tone, as though the matter had already been decided.
"I'll have all your things moved over today. If there's anything else you need afterward, tell me and I'll have it brought over as well. From now on, you'll be living with me."
There wasn't the slightest hint of discussion in his voice.
He wasn't asking.
He was informing her.
And before she could gather her thoughts enough to answer, he had already turned and headed toward the bathroom. A moment later, the door closed behind him with a soft click, leaving Juliet alone in the suddenly quiet room.
She pushed herself upright and sat against the headboard. Reaching toward the bedside table, she pressed the lamp switch.
Warm golden light immediately filled the room.
Only then did she truly look around.
Her gaze wandered casually at first before abruptly freezing.
There were photographs everywhere.
Several sat on the bedside table. More were displayed on shelves around the room, while others hung on the wall directly opposite the bed.
Juliet stared at them in shock.
Every single photograph was of her.
For a moment, she simply sat there, unable to process what she was seeing. She had never imagined that Cassian would keep photographs of her, let alone enough to fill an entire room. It was so unexpected that she couldn't understand how she had failed to notice them earlier when she first woke up.
The photographs weren't only pictures of her standing alone.
There were countless photographs of the two of them together.
Her brows furrowed slightly.
She couldn't remember taking any of them.
As she continued looking, realization slowly dawned on her.
Most of the photographs hadn't been posed.
In nearly every picture, she was focused on something else entirely while Cassian stood nearby. Sometimes he was standing beside her. Sometimes he was behind her. Sometimes he was looking directly at her while she remained completely unaware of him.
Someone had simply captured those moments.
Captured the countless times he had silently stayed by her side.
Captured the way his attention had always followed her, even when she wasn't looking.
Captured feelings she had been blind to for years.
Juliet felt something tighten painfully inside her chest.
Her eyes continued moving around the room, and only then did she begin noticing the other details.
Fresh flowers had been arranged throughout the room.
Elegant silver decorations lined the shelves and corners.
Even the furniture, curtains, colors, and decorations matched her personal tastes perfectly.
None of it felt like something Cassian would choose for himself.
Everything in the room had been designed according to her preferences.
The realization made her heart flutter.
Without realizing it, her eyes drifted toward the bathroom door where the faint sound of running water could be heard from inside.
A complicated expression crossed her face.
"For Vincent, I betrayed Cassian so many times. Someone even broke his shoulder because of me."
The words left a bitter taste in her mouth.
Back then, she had trusted Vincent without question. She had believed every lie he told and doubted Cassian at every opportunity. No matter how many times Cassian had tried to protect her, she had always chosen someone else.
Now that she finally understood the truth, the guilt felt almost unbearable.
A layer of moisture gathered in her eyes.
"Now that I've seen through Vincent, I'll never make those mistakes again."
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
Looking toward the bathroom door, she couldn't stop the small smile that appeared on her lips.
"Cassian is a million times better."
The thought made her chest ache.
If she had known all those years ago that he liked her... no, that he had loved her this deeply...
How different would everything have been?
Would she have wasted so many years hurting him?
Would she have spent so long misunderstanding him?
Juliet lowered her gaze, her heart feeling strangely heavy.
For the first time, she found herself wondering what their lives would look like now if she had only understood his feelings sooner.
Suddenly, the sound of a phone ringing on the bedside table shattered the silence.
Juliet flinched slightly and turned her head toward the source of the noise.
Cassian's phone was lighting up.
Her gaze casually dropped to the screen, only for her brows to lift when she saw a familiar, unsaved number.
It was Alexa’s number.
Juliet stared at the flashing name for a moment before reaching over and picking up the phone.
As she held it in her hand, a strange realization surfaced in her mind.
How did I never notice it before?
Her brows slowly furrowed.
Every time they attended a party, a banquet, or any gathering, Alexa was always hanging around either Vincent or Cassian.
At the time, Juliet had never thought much about it.
But now that she looked back, it suddenly seemed so obvious.
Alexa was constantly finding excuses to stay close to Vincent while simultaneously trying to get Cassian's attention whenever she could.
How blind had she been?
It was as if someone had suddenly removed a veil from her eyes.
The more she thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed that she hadn't noticed sooner.
"She keeps clinging to Vincent, but at the same time she's had a crush on Cassian for years," Juliet muttered softly to herself.
A faint look of disdain appeared on her face.
"So she plays both sides."
The ringing continued.
Juliet glanced at the bathroom door where the sound of running water could still be heard before casually answering the call.
"What?"
Silence greeted her.
A few seconds passed.
Then a shocked voice came from the other side.
"...Juliet?"
Juliet couldn't help letting out a small laugh.
"You recognize my voice that quickly? That's surprising."
The reaction on the other end was immediate.
"Why are you answering Cassian's phone?!"
Alexa practically shrieked the words.
Juliet could hear rustling noises through the speaker, as though Alexa had suddenly jumped to her feet. It sounded like she was pacing around the room in agitation before speaking again.
"Why are you answering his phone?"
Juliet leaned comfortably against the headboard and shrugged.
"I don't know. Cassian brought me to his house, and when I saw someone calling, I picked up."
She glanced lazily at the caller ID.
"What is it, Alexa? Did you lose something?"
The silence that followed was tense.
When Alexa finally spoke again, her voice was trembling.
"Juliet, what the hell are you doing at his house?"
The shock in her voice was impossible to hide.
"Have you completely lost your mind? You're engaged to Vincent! Do you have no shame at all? What are you doing staying at another man's house? If Vincent finds out, what do you think he's going to think about you? What the hell is wrong with you?"
Juliet listened quietly.
For the first time, instead of feeling guilty, she found herself amused.
"Leave right now," Alexa continued urgently. "Do you hear me? Leave immediately."
Juliet casually leaned back against the pillows and examined her nails.
Her voice was calm and leisurely when she replied.
"I'm over Vincent."
The words came out so casually that Alexa didn't even react at first.
Then Juliet added,
"I have a new boyfriend now."
The silence that followed was almost comical.
Juliet could practically hear Alexa's brain stop functioning.
"What?"
Alexa's voice cracked.
"What do you mean you have a new boyfriend? Who is your new boyfriend?"
Juliet bit back a smile.
"Isn't it obvious?"
She glanced toward the bathroom door.
"I'm staying at his house, aren't I?"
Alexa stopped breathing for a second.
Juliet continued innocently.
"After everything Vincent did, do you really think I was going to stay with him? Since we're already over, why would I keep wasting my time?"
The line went completely silent.
For several long seconds, neither woman spoke.
Then Alexa's voice returned.
This time it sounded strained.
Almost panicked.
"You've completely lost your mind."
Juliet raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"You shouldn't be there!" Alexa blurted out. "You have no idea what you're doing. Have you forgotten everything? You've stolen from Cassian. You've hurt him countless times. Do you seriously think he's just going to let all that go?"
Juliet's expression slowly cooled.
Alexa continued speaking rapidly.
"I told you before, didn't I? Cassian is terrifying. Once he gets his hands on someone, he never lets them go. You shouldn't even be near him."