Chapter 25 Break Up With Her
By the time evening arrived, Juliet finally returned home.
Even as she stood outside the mansion, her hands trembled slightly at her sides. She stared at the familiar building in silence, suddenly feeling as though she were standing in front of a stranger's house rather than Cassian’s.
She didn't want to go inside.
She didn't want to face Cassian.
But after standing there for several minutes, she slowly released a shaky breath and forced herself to walk in.
She didn't stop in the living room.
Instead, she headed straight upstairs. Her footsteps slowed as she approached the bedroom, and for a brief moment, her hand hesitated on the doorknob.
Then she pushed the door open.
The moment she stepped inside, she froze.
The entire room was bathed in a soft golden glow.
Warm, dim lights illuminated every corner while dozens of candles flickered gently throughout the room, their flames dancing softly and casting moving shadows across the walls.
Fresh flowers were arranged everywhere, filling the air with a delicate fragrance.
Despite the lingering ache in her heart, the atmosphere felt unexpectedly warm and intimate.
Juliet slowly stepped farther inside, her eyes sweeping across the room in stunned silence.
Then she saw the bed.
It was completely covered in gift boxes.
Dozens of them.
She instinctively slowed, almost unable to believe what she was seeing.
Drawn forward as though in a trance, she walked toward the bed, her fingertips brushing lightly over one of the beautifully wrapped packages.
Her gaze moved from one box to another, growing more astonished with every passing second.
Every single package carried the logo of an internationally renowned luxury brand. Some names she recognized from magazines, while others belonged to brands so exclusive that she had only ever heard wealthy socialites mention them in passing.
Yet now, all of those impossibly expensive gifts were piled across their bed, waiting for her.
As Juliet slowly walked toward the bed, a pair of strong arms suddenly wrapped around her from behind.
She stiffened at once, caught off guard.
Before she could even turn around, a familiar scent enveloped her, warm and unmistakable. She didn't need to look back to know it was Cassian. His broad chest pressed firmly against her back, his muscular body surrounding her completely, leaving no distance between them.
A second later, she felt him lower his head. His warm breath brushed softly against her ear before his lips gently pressed against the sensitive skin beside it.
"I'm sorry about last night," he murmured.
His voice was low and hoarse, carrying a trace of exhaustion and fragility she had rarely heard from him. As he spoke, his arms tightened around her waist, almost desperately, as though he feared she would disappear the moment he loosened his hold.
"I shouldn't have said those things to you." He paused, burying his face in her hair and inhaling deeply, as if drawing comfort from her presence. "I'm sorry, Juliet."
Juliet heard every single word.
Yet the coldness in her expression didn't soften in the slightest.
Her face remained distant and unreadable as she lowered her hands to the ones clasped around her waist and began prying them away, finger by finger.
"You didn't have to do all this," she said quietly, her voice carrying neither anger nor warmth as her eyes swept across the extravagant gifts scattered around the room.
The instant those words left her mouth, Cassian's body went rigid.
Instead of releasing her, he only held her tighter.
He couldn't let go.
The mere thought of loosening his grip terrified him. Somewhere deep inside, he was convinced that if he let her walk away now, he would lose her forever.
Closing his eyes briefly, he pressed another lingering kiss against her temple before speaking again, his voice unusually gentle.
"What else do you want?" he asked softly. "A new car? Jewelry? You like Bvlgari, don't you? I'll buy you everything from their latest collection. If you want an entire city, I'll buy that for you too."
He gently turned her in his arms until she was facing him. His dark eyes remained fixed on her face, searching desperately for even the slightest sign that she was softening.
"Just tell me what you want, Juliet," he said, his voice rough with desperation. "I promise I'll make it up to you."
Juliet simply stared at him.
The more he spoke, the colder her expression became.
Without saying a word, she tightened her grip around his wrists and firmly pulled his hands away from her waist.
Cassian instinctively resisted, unwilling to release her, but Juliet remained stubborn, continuing to push his hands away until, finally, his arms fell limply to his sides.
Only then did she lift her eyes to meet his.
"Enough."
Her indifferent voice made Cassian freeze where he stood.
"I want to leave this house," she continued steadily, though the faint pain lingering in her eyes betrayed her composure. "I don't want to live with you anymore."
For a moment, it felt as though time itself had stopped.
Cassian's entire body turned rigid.
"No."
The answer came almost instantly.
As though refusing to even process what she had just said, he took a step forward and reached for her again.
"Let's go to bed," he said softly, his hand gently catching hers as though nothing had happened. "We'll talk about this later. You must be tired. Come on. Let's sleep first."
Before she could pull away, his arms circled her waist once more, drawing her back against him.
"Let me hold you."
Lowering his head, he moved to kiss her, but the moment he came close, Juliet immediately turned her face away.
Cassian stilled.
The rejection was so swift and instinctive that it left him momentarily unable to react.
"Stop," Juliet said coldly.
That single word struck him harder than a slap.
Slowly, she turned to look at him, disappointment filling her eyes.
"Don't you know that once a man becomes too old, romance loses its charm?" she said in a deadly calm voice. "I don't have any desire to be close to you anymore, so stop trying to kiss me and stop trying to get close to me."
As she spoke, she took a deliberate step backward, increasing the distance between them.
"It's over."
Cassian's expression immediately darkened.
A flicker of frustration flashed across his face.
"Stop making me feel bad about my age," he muttered, his brows furrowing.
Refusing to accept her rejection, he reached out and gently cupped her face, trying to turn her toward him once again.
He tried to kiss her again, lowering his head stubbornly as though refusing to accept her rejection, but before his lips could touch hers, Juliet turned her face away again without hesitation.
Cassian froze.
For a brief second, neither of them moved.
Then his breathing gradually grew heavier. His chest rose and fell unevenly as he stared at her profile, his dark eyes fixed on her lips. Anger, frustration, hurt, and desperation churned violently inside him, making his gaze increasingly turbulent.
Still unwilling to give up, he reached for her chin and leaned in once more.
But Juliet reacted immediately.
Without even looking at him, she raised her hand and firmly shoved his face away.
The force of it made Cassian's head turn slightly to the side.
Juliet didn't spare him a single glance.
As though he no longer existed, she simply walked past him and headed toward the bed.
Her movements were cold, detached, and utterly indifferent.
She lifted the quilt and climbed beneath it, pushing aside the countless gift boxes scattered across the mattress with little care.
Several expensive boxes toppled off the bed and crashed onto the floor one after another.
Ribbons, wrapping paper, and luxury bags spilled across the marble floor, creating a mess throughout the room.
Juliet didn't care in the slightest.
She didn't even look at the gifts.
Nor did she look at him.
Pulling the blanket over herself, she lay down and closed her eyes as though she were alone in the room.
"You don't have to pretend to be generous," she said coldly, her voice devoid of even a trace of warmth. "Now leave me alone. I know you don't want to be around a cheap woman who sleeps around. You might catch a disease if you keep touching me."
The moment the words left her mouth, a deafening crash shattered the silence.
Consumed by rage, Cassian grabbed the heavy metal candle holder from the bedside table and hurled it across the room with all his strength.
It slammed violently against the marble floor.
The sharp sound echoed throughout the entire house.
Candles rolled in every direction, scattering across the floor as the flames that had been softly illuminating the room flickered wildly before dying out one by one, plunging the room into near darkness.
Cassian stood there breathing heavily, his chest heaving violently.
He paid no attention to the sharp edge of the metal that had sliced deeply across his palm during the outburst.
Blood immediately began trickling down his hand, running over his fingers before dripping steadily onto the pristine white marble floor, staining it crimson.
But Juliet never turned around.
Not even once.
Cassian remained standing behind her, motionless.
His entire body was rigid, every muscle drawn tight. Slowly, his bloodied hand curled into a fist as he stared at her cold, indifferent back.
"Give me one more chance, Juliet," he said hoarsely.
His voice was rough and strained, thick with pain and barely restrained emotion.
"Juliet, I’m hurt."
Juliet remained silent.
"Juliet?"
He called her name again, desperation and restlessness evident in his voice.
Still, she didn't respond.
"Juliet?"
This time, his voice cracked.
"Do you really not care about me anymore?"
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Juliet kept her eyes tightly shut, refusing to acknowledge him. Beneath the blanket, however, her fingers slowly tightened around the fabric until her knuckles turned white.
Her heart pounded painfully against her ribs.