Chapter Six

The One Thing I Never Finished

Cassian POV

My phone buzzed on the polished conference table in the middle of the London meeting. I glanced at it once, then twice. The message from the family PR lead made my blood run cold.

“Hargrove family statement approved for release. Following his continued recovery, Elias Hargrove will be joined by his fiancée Celeste Voss, who has returned to the family estate after a period of personal recovery. The family asks for privacy during this time.”

I froze mid-sentence. The board members kept talking about quarterly projections, but their voices faded into background noise. Celeste. After months of nothing. No call. No message. She just vanished. And now she’s back with Elias like none of it happened?

“Mr. Hargrove? You alright?” one of them asked.

I stood up so fast the chair scraped loudly against the floor. “The meeting’s over. Cancel everything else today.”

“But sir, we still have…”

“Cancel it.” I grabbed my jacket and headed for the door. My assistant tried to follow. “Book me the next flight to the States. Now.”

The drive to the airport passed in a blur. I didn’t call anyone. Not Vivienne. Not Elias. I just needed to see her myself. My mind wouldn’t stop spinning. All those nights I forced myself to focus on work instead of her. All the times I told myself she made her choice. It felt like nothing now.

——————————————————————

On the plane, I stared out the window, jaw tight. Memories kept hitting me whether I wanted them or not. That night in the garden, months ago, when Celeste laughed at something stupid I said and then pulled me in for a kiss that felt like it could burn the whole world down. The way she looked at me when we were alone, like I was the only one who really saw her. Not the heiress. Not Elias’s perfect match. Just her. The way her fingers would trace my jaw when she thought I was sleeping. The quiet promises we made when the rest of the family wasn’t watching.

Why the hell did she leave without a word? And why come back now, straight to him?

I gripped the armrest harder. I spent months convincing myself she chose him. That what we had was a mistake she regretted. But the second I heard she was back, every lie I told myself crumbled. The hurt came rushing back, raw and heavy, like the wound had never closed.

The driver met me at JFK just before midnight. The car from the airport felt too slow. I watched the familiar roads pass, my chest getting tighter with every mile closer to the estate. I told the driver to stop just outside the gates. “Wait here.”

I stayed in the back seat, leaning slightly forward as I looked through the tinted windows. The gardens looked the same. Soft lights glowing on the paths. And then I saw her.

Celeste.

She walked slowly along one of the paths, that thin gold necklace catching the light on her neck along with the bracelet on her wrist, the same dark wavy hair, the same graceful way she moved. My stomach twisted hard. She looked exactly like the woman I couldn’t forget. The woman I loved even when I knew I shouldn’t.

For a short second, something felt different. Maybe the months away had changed her. Maybe I was imagining it. Then she turned, and every doubt disappeared.

She stopped near the far iron gate, looking straight toward the car. Through the tinted glass, I could see her eyes narrow slightly as she focused on the driver’s seat. She took a step closer.

I quickly tapped the driver’s shoulder. “Go. Now. Slowly.”

The engine started. The car pulled away smoothly and disappeared around the bend before she could get any closer.

I watched her in the side mirror for as long as I could, unable to look away. Part of me wanted to call out. Part of me wanted to turn around and leave before she could break me again. Every emotion I'd buried came rushing back, squeezing the air right from my lungs. I kept seeing flashes of us together, the stolen moments, the way she used to say my name as if it mattered more than anything else in her world.

I sat in silence for a while, fighting with myself. The pull was too strong. Then I told the driver to turn around. Some questions can’t wait.

——————————————————————

The front door of the mansion felt heavier than usual when I pushed it open. The house was quiet except for faint voices. I moved toward the sound, heart pounding. Only one thing mattered now: looking her in the eyes and hearing the truth.

I stepped into the sitting room. Elias sat on the couch, looking pale but awake. And there she was. Celeste. Sitting close to him.

The air in the room changed the second I stepped in.

“Hello, brother,” I said, voice low and controlled. “Looks like I missed quite a lot while I was away.”

Elias went completely still. His eyes met mine, wide with shock.

Neither of us moved at first. I couldn’t look anywhere else. Not at Elias. Not at the room. Just her.

“Cassian,” Elias finally said, his voice rough.

I didn’t answer him. I couldn’t stop staring at her. The way she sat there. The gold necklace and bracelet on her. Everything looked right.

And just like that, every month I spent trying to forget her meant nothing at all.