Chapter 36
Kassia wave-pov
Kassia eyes were dull, lips pressed into a tight line. The ride to Christy's apartment was short, but the silence stretched like a canyon. Robbin, ever discreet, kept his eyes on the road and his mouth shut. Kassia didn't mind—words felt too heavy to speak.
When they arrived, she stepped out of the car and walked toward the warmly lit building. Her steps were slow, her body heavy with exhaustion. She knocked once. The door swung open almost immediately.
"Hi, babes!" Christy greeted brightly, but her smile faltered as she took in Kassia's face. "God, Kassia. Are you okay?"
Kassia offered a forced smile. "I'm fine."
Christy stepped aside to let her in, eyes scanning her face with concern. "You sure? I was scared back at the restaurant. The way your fiancé came storming in like that—he looked like he was ready to kill someone."
Kassia shrugged off her coat. "He just… wanted to show me the new house we'll be living in after the wedding." Her voice was flat, emotionally distant.
"Just like that? Without asking?" Christy asked, crossing her arms.
Kassia avoided her gaze. "It's not a big deal. He's obsessed with appearances, that's all."
She didn't mention the rules Cain had laid out like commandments. The six-year contract. The demand for obedience. The control. That part was too raw. Too dangerous to share.
Christy didn't press. Instead, she led her to the couch. "Your future mother-in-law mentioned earlier that one of the drivers will bring Chicago over tomorrow morning to stay with me for a few days. She said you'd be… busy."
Kassia nodded slowly. "Okay. That's fine."
"I hope Chicago's doing okay," Christy added.
"She's stronger than me," Kassia murmured, almost to herself.
"You're both strong," Christy replied gently. "But you look like you've been through hell. You need a shower, a nap, and probably a cupcake."
Kassia let out a faint laugh. "Definitely a shower first. Then I need to check my email. I've been putting it off."
She disappeared into the bathroom, shedding the weight of the day alongside her clothes. The hot water offered a brief reprieve, washing away the grime but not the dread. Cain's voice echoed in her mind—his rules, his threats, his cold promises. When she finally stepped out, dressed in Christy's oversized pajamas, she looked clean but felt no lighter.
Later, they lay side by side on the bed, two girls trying to hold onto a shred of normalcy in a world Kassia no longer recognized.
"Okay," Kassia whispered, opening her laptop. "Here goes nothing."
Christy leaned closer. "What does it say?"
Kassia scrolled slowly, her fingers trembling.
"I got in…" she breathed. "I got into NYU."
Christy let out a squeal. "That's amazing!"
But Kassia wasn't done. She blinked at the screen in disbelief. "Oh—and Columbia, too."
Christy grabbed the laptop. "Girl, what? You got into both? You're a genius."
Kassia gave a hollow laugh. "Hardly. But yeah. Somehow I did."
"So… which one are you going to choose?" Christy asked, eyes wide.
Kassia leaned back on the pillows, staring at the ceiling. "I don't know. I need to talk to Chicago. See how she feels about it."
"And what about you, Kassia?" Christy pressed. "What do you want?"
Kassia was quiet for a moment. Her eyes darkened. "I feel… trapped."
Christy sat up, worry creasing her brow. "You don't have to marry him. You know that, right?"
Kassia shook her head. "It's not that simple. He paid for everything—Chicago's surgery, our security, the hospital bills. And now we're engaged. The whole world knows. Backing out now would destroy my reputation. His, too. And it might ruin any future opportunities for Chicago."
She hesitated, then added in a low voice, "And I doubt my mom would care even if I left. Even if I chose Columbia. I haven't seen her in a while. She finally has a phone now, but she doesn't call. Not even to check on Chicago."
Christy sighed, her voice soft. "She's never been there for you. That's not on you, Kassia."
Kassia blinked back the sting in her eyes. "I just wish… someone would ask me what I want. Just once."
There was a pause before Christy asked gently, "What about your… husband? Do you think he'll let you travel that far to study?"
Kassia's expression twisted in revulsion. She turned to Christy sharply. "Can you please stop calling him that?"
"Sorry…"
"When you say it," Kassia said, her voice trembling, "I feel like throwing up. Literally. He's not my husband. He's my prison warden in a suit."
Christy reached for her hand. "Then don't go through with it. Run. Choose NYU. Columbia. Anywhere. Start over."
Kassia swallowed. "And then what? He'll destroy me—publicly, legally. You think Cain Mysia would let me walk away unscathed?"
The silence that followed was heavy.
"But you deserve to be free," Christy said eventually.
"I know," Kassia whispered. "But knowing it and doing something about it? That's the hard part."
She closed the laptop and stared at the ceiling. "I can't break free yet. But maybe… maybe I can find my own way out."
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The next morning, Cain sat at the head of the breakfast table in his penthouse suite, sipping black coffee as sunlight poured through the glass walls. The city lay beneath him, but his focus was on the crisp newspaper in his hand.
"Kassia Waves Receives Offers From NYU and Columbia—Will She Leave Her Billionaire Fiancé for Her Dreams?"
Peter entered the room, setting down a digital tablet beside Cain's coffee. "She's trending again. The media's eating it up."
Cain's eyes narrowed as he scanned the headline. "Let them talk. She'll stay."
Peter paused. "Are you sure? She's not exactly the submissive type."
Cain folded the paper and stood, brushing off invisible lint from his suit sleeve. "She can play with fire all she wants. Just as long as she remembers who built the house she's playing in."
But even as he said the words, a flicker of something unfamiliar twisted in his chest—buried beneath steel and strategy.
Doubt.
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Author's note
Thanks for reading 📚
Xoxo
CC