Cassie’s POV
We had been sitting in the hospital waiting area for almost three hours with no real update. Were they operating on him or what? It was just sleeping pills. The silence felt heavier with every passing minute. Every time the double doors opened, my heart lurched, hoping it was finally news.
Cece looked worried sick. She cared about him a lot, even if he didn’t feel the same way about her. Her hands kept twisting the strap of her bag, and she couldn’t stop glancing at the doors.
Finally a doctor came out and walked toward us. We all stood up at once.
"His breathing is stable, but he’s still deeply sedated. We need to know what he took in the last twenty-four hours and how much."
Cece glanced at me like I was supposed to have all the answers just because I spent the most time with him.
"I don’t know everything he eats," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "But I know he had his usual coffee this morning. The one he drinks every day."
The doctor nodded. "I’d like to test that coffee. We found a sedative in his system, but we haven’t been able to identify it yet."
"Okay. It was still on his desk when we left for the hospital. You can send someone to get it."
"Doctor, how is he really doing?" Cece cut in.
He looked at her. "He should wake up soon. Once he does, you can take him home to rest properly."
Cece’s face lit up with relief. I felt the opposite. Terror sat heavy in my chest. What if he found out I was the one who did this to him? What if the tests somehow led back to me? I was so fucked.
"I’ll have a nurse collect the coffee sample," the doctor said before walking off.
I sank into the chair behind me, praying I wouldn’t get caught. My hands were cold. I never meant for it to go this far. I only wanted him to sleep until it was time to go home. Just a few quiet hours without his constant demands and sharp tongue. That was all. Not this.
A little while later, Damien came out of the room. He looked exhausted and in pain, barely able to walk on his own. His face was pale and there were dark circles under his eyes. Cece rushed to him immediately, sliding under his arm to help. I just stood there holding his bag, watching them move past me. When his eyes met mine, it felt like he already knew. Something cold slid down my spine. I followed them out to the car like a lost puppy.
Cece got him settled in the passenger seat, then turned to me.
"Cassie, you’ve done enough today. Go home. I’ll take care of him."
I handed her the bag without arguing and left. I needed space to think. He wasn’t going to let this go. From the look on his face, he was already planning to dig until he found the truth. And I couldn’t afford to be exposed.
When I got home, Kate was sitting in the living room like she’d been waiting for me.
"Cass, where have you been?" she asked, panic already in her voice.
"Kate... I’m in trouble and I don’t know what to do."
"What did you do?"
I took a deep breath. "You know those sleeping pills I bought for Damien after he forced me to scrub his bathroom?" I paused. Her eyes stayed locked on mine. "It went really bad. He wouldn’t wake up. He was just lying there, completely out. I got scared and called for help to get him to the hospital."
I swallowed hard. "The doctor said there was a sedative in his system. Kate... what if they trace it back to me? I could get arrested for attempted murder. I can’t go to prison."
"Oh my God, Cass." She pressed her fingers to her temples. "I told you to be careful. I told you not to do anything stupid, but you never listen. And now this."
She softened her voice a little. "For now he doesn’t know it was you. That buys you some time. But if he starts digging for real... you’re probably cooked."
"Are you trying to scare me more?" I snapped. "You’re supposed to help me, not make it worse."
"Sorry," she muttered, holding her hands up in a half-mocking gesture. "I’m sure he’ll just forget about yesterday and move on like nothing happened."
"You’re really not helping."
Kate shifted on the couch. "I went to a healing centre today. It’s this little community group where people talk about trauma. I enrolled. Guess who was in the same program?"
"Kate, just say it. I’m not in the mood."
"Dylan. He was there. He recognised me from the day he came to the house."
"What was he doing there? Is he sick?"
"Apparently his brother messed him up pretty badly. He’s struggling to forgive him."
"Go on. Tell me everything."
"He talked about their childhood. How Damien always made him feel like a failure. And how Damien slept with his girlfriend in college."
"Yeah, I heard about that. It was messed up."
"He seemed shocked to see me there. And... it kind of felt like he was flirting with me. Even though he’s supposed to be trying to win over fake Kate."
I let out a short, tired laugh. "That’s crazy. He has no idea you’re the real Winswood. He’d lose his mind if he found out."
"He won’t. And neither will my dad. Hopefully Damien keeps his mouth shut too."
I was too drained to keep talking. The weight of the day pressed down on me until I felt like I might collapse. "I need to shower. I’m about to pass out."
I went upstairs. Kate followed me. Apparently she was sleeping in my room now.
When I came out of the bathroom, I caught her taking pills — sleeping pills. I walked over and took the pack from her hand.
"Kate, are you still taking these?"
"Give it back," she muttered, snatching it. "They help me sleep. No bad dreams. I just... sleep."
"Did you not hear what just happened with Damien? This stuff isn’t healthy, especially if you’re taking it every day. I don’t want anything bad happening to you."
"You don’t have to worry about me. I’m careful. It’s not every day."
I stared at her. She was already depending on them. I could see it in the way her fingers tightened around the pack.
I barely slept that night. My mind kept spinning around Damien — whether he’d already figured it out, whether the hospital would trace the sedative back to me, and what the hell I was supposed to do if they did. Every time I closed my eyes I saw his face in the hospital hallway. Beside me, Kate slept like she didn’t have a care in the world.
—
The next morning I got dressed for work and waited for a cab. Damien had stopped sending his driver to pick me up.
When I got to the office, he still wasn’t there. I placed his coffee on the desk like always and tried to convince myself he’d just let yesterday go. That maybe he would chalk it up to stress or something he ate. Anything except the truth.
Hours later he walked in with a group of men. My stomach dropped. Cece was right behind them. I pulled her to the side.
"What’s going on? Who are those guys?"
She looked at me carefully. "He’s trying to figure out what happened yesterday. He said he didn’t eat anything before work, and the only thing he had the day before was at Maison Noir."
Panic flooded me so hard I felt lightheaded. My vision blurred at the edges.
"Does he suspect anyone?" I asked, voice tight.
"Not really. Everything keeps pointing back to the coffee he drank yesterday morning."
I grabbed the edge of the door for support. My legs felt weak.
"Are you okay?" Cece asked, steadying me. "What’s wrong?"
"I’m fine," I lied. Then the words started spilling out. "Cece... I did something wrong."
Her eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"
"I didn’t want to... He pushed me to it."
"Pushed you to what? Cassie, what are you talking about?"
I couldn’t get the full truth out. My throat felt closed. Across the room I could see Damien and the men reviewing CCTV footage. Any second now they’d watch me remind him to drink his coffee, watch me check on him with that fake smile, watch me switch the cups when no one was looking.
Then his eyes found mine. He didn’t look away.
He knew.
"Cassie," he called, voice sharp. "Come here. Now."
Every head turned. I walked toward him on unsteady legs, hands twisting together, eyes on the floor.
"What did you do to my coffee yesterday?"