Cassie’s POV
The day was finally over. The moment I got home, I threw myself onto my bed, trying not to think about everything that had happened. Cece’s attitude toward me. Their ridiculous relationship. The way my chest had tightened when I watched them.
I couldn’t believe I had actually been jealous of what they had. Edward and I were better than whatever that was. At least that’s what I kept telling myself.
I managed to drag myself up, take a quick bath, and change into my comfiest clothes. I was just about to crawl into bed when Kate suddenly rushed into my room. Her breathing was unsteady. She looked panicked.
"Cass..." Her eyes said everything her mouth couldn’t.
"Kate... are you okay?" I asked, even though it was clear she wasn’t.
I quickly changed into a pair of pants and a black top, grabbed my bag, and rushed her to the hospital. Fear sat heavy in my chest the entire way. Had she eaten something bad? Or was it the sleeping pills I had warned her about?
At the hospital, I waited for what felt like forever. The minutes dragged. I called Edward for emotional support, and he came as soon as he could.
"How is she?" he asked the moment he arrived.
"I have no idea. The doctor hasn’t said anything yet."
"She’ll be fine," he said quietly, placing a comforting hand on my back.
A few minutes later, the doctor finally came out of her room and walked toward us.
"Doctor, how is she doing?" I asked, unable to hide the impatience in my voice.
"Are you her guardian?" he asked, looking between me and Edward.
"Yes, I am. We live together. Please tell me everything is fine."
"She’ll be fine," he said calmly. "You don’t need to worry. She just needs enough rest."
Relief washed over me so strongly that my knees almost gave out.
"She’ll be discharged tomorrow, so you should go home and get some rest yourself," the doctor added, handing me a few medical forms to fill out.
"I’ll drive you home," Edward offered as we walked out of the hospital.
"Okay... but I’d prefer to stay over at your place tonight. I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep at home without knowing how Kate is doing."
"Alright," he said without hesitation.
We got to his place, which felt warm and cozy as usual. I laid flat on the bed, staring at the ceiling, hoping Kate was really going to be okay.
"Do you want anything?" Edward asked gently.
"Water would be fine." I took a deep breath. "I’ll be going on a business trip this weekend with my boss."
He looked at me, clearly shocked. "A business trip during the weekend? Aren’t those supposed to be your resting days?"
"Yes, but I’m taking some days off during the week instead."
"I really don’t know how to react to what you just said," he admitted. "I don’t like the sound of it."
"It’s really not a big deal. We’ll be attending a conference, and he needs me—his assistant—to take notes of everything that happens."
"If you insist," he said quietly. I could hear in his voice that he was against it, but he wasn’t going to argue.
—
Morning came too soon.
I got ready for work while Edward was still asleep. Since he wasn’t available to take me to the hospital, I found my own way. By the time I arrived, Kate had already been discharged. Her dad had picked her up.
I quickly texted her to check how she was doing, then headed straight to the office.
Damien was already at work when I walked in. I placed his coffee on the desk as usual. Just as I was about to return to my seat, he called me back.
"Cassie... I hope you’re ready for tomorrow."
"Yes, sir. Were you able to convince Cece about me going to the conference with you?"
He scoffed. "I don’t need permission from anyone on how to run my organization. Just be ready."
"Okay, sir," I said softly.
This was definitely the Damien I knew.
I went back to my desk and sat down. A few minutes later, my phone buzzed with a notification from an unknown number.
Hey Cassie,
I’m sorry for everything that has happened between us. I want to be the father I’ve never been to you— something I’ve failed at. Can we meet tonight? I want to properly ask for your forgiveness.
Your dearest dad.
I stared at the message for a long time, not knowing how to feel. I didn’t think I could forgive him. Not after everything. And right now, I had a mountain of work in front of me. Still, the message kept popping back into my mind no matter how hard I tried to ignore it.
Why would he want to make things right now? It felt too late. The Mr. Hayes I knew was a deadbeat. He probably just wanted money from me. He definitely didn’t care about being a father.
When lunchtime came, I went down to the cafeteria and texted both Edward and Kate about the unexpected message. I knew Edward might not reply immediately since he was usually busy during the day, but Kate responded almost right away.
She was strongly against it. She kept texting me about how people don’t change overnight—especially not him. I tried to explain that maybe he had changed, and how much I still wanted the kind of father-daughter relationship she had with her own dad.
But Kate always had a good comeback. And deep down, she was right. He didn’t deserve that chance.
I eventually put my phone down and tried to focus on my lunch before my short break ended.
"Cass..."
I looked up to see Cece pulling out the chair beside me.
"Hey, Cee," I said, barely able to meet her eyes after everything she had said the day before.
"I know you’re mad at me," she began, "and I’m really sorry for everything I said."
"I don’t really know what to say," I admitted. "Everything you said came from a place you’ve been hiding, and I didn’t know that’s how you felt about me."
"I know. I was wrong. I was angry with Damien, and I took it out on you. That wasn’t fair." She paused. "Besides... we’ve broken up."
"What?" I blurted out.
"Yeah. He broke up with me last night." She gave a small smile. "But it’s fine. He was starting to come between us, and I didn’t like that."
"I’m sorry it ended like this. I know how much you cared about him."
"Yeah... but I’m really okay." She took a bite of her sandwich. "Anyway, enough about me. Anything new with you?"
"Aside from the chaos from your relationship?" I said with a weak laugh. "My dad wants his way back into my life."
"Your dad? The one who was banned from entering this company?"
"Yes," I said, laughing a little.
"Did he give any reason for wanting to rekindle things with you?" she asked, though her tone sounded only half-interested.
"He just said he wants to be the father he never was to me. I find it hard to believe. I think he just wants something from me."
"You don’t know that for sure. Maybe he genuinely wants to make things right." She hesitated. "If you ask me, I think you should at least give him a chance to explain himself. Hear him out."
I stared at her, surprised. "I thought you’d be against it. I’m shocked you think I should even consider forgiving him."
"I guess I’m unpredictable."
"Okay... maybe I will hear him out. But only if it’s in a public place."
"That’s a good idea," she said quickly. "You should reply to him now. Tell him you’ll see him tonight."
I paused, frowning slightly. "How do you know it was supposed to be tonight?"
"You must have mentioned it," she said hastily.
I hesitated for a moment, then typed out a message telling him where we could meet later that evening. He replied almost immediately, saying how happy I had made him and how I wouldn’t regret giving him a chance.
"It’s done," I said, putting my phone down. "I’m feeling really nervous about this."
"I don’t think you need to be. You made the right choice by agreeing to hear him out. Whether you accept his apology or not is still completely up to you."
"Okay... I think I can do this. I just have to look past the person he was to my mom. I’ve never seen him in a good light, and it’s scary." I paused. "I don’t even know what it’s going to feel like."
"I know it’s scary, but you’ll have to face it eventually." She looked at me carefully. "I can come with you if you want."
"No. You don’t have to. I’ll do this alone. I can handle it."
"Okay. That’s really brave of you," she said softly. "I admire that."
"I need to tell Kate that I’ll be meeting him tonight," I said, reaching for my phone again.
"Don’t," Cece said quickly. "I mean... I don’t think it’s the best idea. She’ll probably talk you out of it."
"Maybe. But my mind is already made up. She won’t be able to change it."
"We don’t know that for sure. You can text her if you want, but I think you shouldn’t. Maybe when you get back, you can tell her how it went."
I stared at my phone for a few seconds, then slowly put it back down on the table.
"You’re right," I said. "That’s probably better."