Just as Cassie's voice softened into a laugh, the café door swung open. Lilly stepped inside, her bright smile immediately filling the room.
"Hey, you two! I hope I'm not interrupting," Lilly said, glancing between Amara and Cassie with a knowing look.
Cassie ended the call quickly, cheeks flushed with excitement. "Lilly! Perfect timing. Come join us."
Amara forced a smile but couldn't shake the restless thoughts swirling in her mind. The man from last night, Cassie's distracted smile… Something wasn't adding up.
Lilly pulled up a chair and settled in, oblivious to the quiet tension lingering in the air.Lilly settled into the chair across from them, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "So, what's all this serious talk about? You two look like you're plotting something."
Cassie shrugged, her earlier excitement fading slightly as she glanced at Amara. "Just catching up. It's been a while."
Amara nodded but kept her gaze distant, fingers tracing the rim of her coffee cup. Her mind replayed every detail from last night—the stranger, the stolen moments, and now, Cassie's odd behavior.
Lilly leaned in, lowering her voice. "Amara, you've been quiet. Everything okay?"
Amara blinked, startled out of her thoughts. She forced a light smile. "Yeah, just tired, I guess."
Cassie watched Amara carefully, her expression unreadable. The pause stretched between them, thick with unspoken questions.
Suddenly, Amara's eyes darted to the café door. An urgent need to leave tightened her chest.
"Excuse me," she said, standing quickly. "I think I left something at the hotel."
Cassie's brows furrowed. "Here already? But we just got started."
Lilly reached out, grabbing Amara's hand. "You sure you're okay?"
Amara hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah. Just some things I need to sort out."
As she slipped out, Cassie's gaze followed her, sharp and searching.
Inside, Amara's heart hammered. The past and present tangled in a knot she
wasn't ready to unravel.Outside the café, Amara took a deep breath, trying to steady her racing heart. She couldn't let Cassie see how shaken she was—not yet.
She pulled out her phone and texted a quick message to the hotel's front desk: "Can you check if a black leather purse was left in room 307 last night?"
Then, with her bag slung tighter over her shoulder, she started walking back toward the hotel, her mind spinning with questions. Who was that man? Why did she feel like Cassie might already know more than she was letting on?
Amara decided she needed to be discreet. If his purse was there, she would retrieve it quickly—and maybe find a clue about the man who had stirred something deep inside her. But if Cassie was involved somehow… she had to be careful.
Her next move: head to the hotel, find the purse, and most importantly find out who the groom really was before the wedding day caught them all in its whirlwind.
Amara stepped outside, the cool morning air brushing against her flushed face. Her mind was a storm — fragments of last night spinning uncontrollably.
Feeling like she was losing grip on reality, she pulled out her phone and dialed a number she hadn't called in a long time.
"Hello?" came a calm voice on the other end.
"It's me," Amara said, her voice shaky. "I… I don't know what's happening. Something happened last night. I think I'm going crazy."
There was a pause, then the voice softened. "Tell me everything."
Amara took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "I met someone. A man. And it was… intense. But now I don't even know who he is."
"I need your help," Amara whispered, the weight of her confusion pressing down on her.
There was a brief silence on the other end before the voice replied gently, yet teasingly, "Amara… it's written all over you. You're in love with this man, and you don't even have his number."
Amara's breath hitched. She hadn't wanted to admit it not even to herself. "I don't know what I feel," she confessed. "It's like everything inside me is on fire, but I'm scared. Scared it's just a mistake."
The voice was patient. "Sometimes the heart knows before the mind can catch up. But don't shut yourself off. Tell me what happened, from the beginning."
Amara took a shaky breath, clutching the phone tighter. "It started last night... I ended up in a stranger's room. I can't explain how or why. He was intense — like he knew exactly what I needed before I did. But now, I don't even know who he is."
The voice on the other end softened. "Sounds like fate threw you into something unexpected. Do you remember anything — a name? A face? Anything at all?"
Amara closed her eyes, trying to hold on to the fragments. "Only his eyes. Dark, but kind. And his hands… like they were made to calm every storm inside me."
There was a pause, then a sigh. "Amara, love like that doesn't come around often. But you have to be careful not just with him, but with your own heart."
Amara swallowed the lump in her throat. "What if I'm already too far gone?"
The voice was firm now. "Then we'll figure it out together. You're not alone."
The room was dimly lit, shadows flickering against the walls as the evening light slipped away. The gentleman stood by the window, his hands loosely clasped behind his back. He stared out over the quiet town, but his mind was miles away — tangled in the memory of last night.
He traced a slow circle on the glass with his fingertip, as if trying to grasp the invisible thread that connected him to Amara. There was something about her — a fragile strength, a hidden fire that both intrigued and unsettled him.
His phone buzzed on the bedside table. A message from an unknown number flickered on the screen: "She's more tangled in this than she knows."
A slow, knowing smile curved his lips.
He leaned back against the wall, eyes closing briefly. The past might be buried deep, but the present was crashing forward and soon, everything would change.
Before he could get lost any further in his thoughts, the door creaked open softly. Cassie stepped in, a bright smile lighting up her face as she approached him.
"Hi, love," she said, her voice warm but carrying a hint of something unsaid.
He turned to her slowly, the smile fading just a little as he studied her expression. "Hey, Cassie."
She closed the door behind her, the click echoing quietly in the room. "I didn't expect you back so early."
He shrugged, trying to mask the swirl of emotions beneath his calm exterior. "Things change."
Cassie moved closer, eyes searching his. "You okay?"
He nodded, but the silence between them held a tension neither could break.
Cassie stepped fully inside, closing the door softly behind her. "You've been distant all evening. You barely said a word."
He didn't meet her eyes, staring at the floor. "I've just been tired."
Cassie's voice sharpened with frustration. "Tired? You've been avoiding me all night. Sleeping alone, ignoring my calls… What's going on?"
He sighed deeply. "It's not that simple."
Cassie took a step closer, her arms crossed. "It should be simple. We're supposed to be starting a new life together, but you act like a stranger."
He finally looked up, eyes shadowed. "I'm trying, Cassie. But sometimes it feels like I'm losing myself."
Cassie's lips pressed into a thin line. "Then talk to me. Don't shut me out."
He ran a hand through his hair, conflicted. "I don't know how."
Cassie's voice softened just a little. "I don't want to fight. I just want you here with me."
He swallowed hard, the weight of unspoken things pressing between them.
The gentleman's lips curled into a small, knowing smile. He stepped closer, the tension in the room shifting.
"So, what is it you want, Cassie?" he asked softly, his voice low and teasing. "Are you trying to make this night a little more… romantic?"
Cassie's eyes flickered with surprise, then a reluctant smile tugged at her lips.
"I just want to feel like we're still us," she whispered, her guard lowering just a bit.
He reached out, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "Then maybe we should start with that."
The distance between them seemed to shrink as the quiet promise of something more hung in the
air.
Cassie's eyes softened as she looked at him. She took a small step closer, her hand reaching out to rest on his chest.
"I miss this," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I miss feeling like we're a team."
He smiled, his hand gently covering hers.
"We've been apart too long," he agreed. "But we can fix that. Starting now."
Cassie's breath hitched. The tension between them grew, warm and real.
Outside, the faint sounds of the wedding celebration floated through the walls, but here, in this quiet room, it was just the two of them.
For a moment, nothing else mattered.
Cassie sank onto the edge of the bed, her fingers nervously twisting the hem of her dress. "I just don't understand why you've been so cold. We're supposed to be starting a new life, but it feels like you're already pulling away."
He sat beside her, the space between them small but heavy. "It's not about you, Cassie. It's about... everything else. The pressure, the expectations. Sometimes it feels like I'm drowning."
Cassie's eyes glistened. "Then let me help you. Don't carry it all alone."
He looked at her, a flicker of vulnerability breaking through. "You're the only one I trust."
She smiled softly, squeezing his hand. "Then lean on me."
Outside the door, a faint creak sounded someone was coming.
He tensed. Cassie glanced toward the sound and whispered, "Who's that?"
The door creaked open just a little wider, and a shadow slipped inside.
Cassie's eyes narrowed. "Who is it?"
From the dim hallway light, a soft voice called out, "Sorry to bother you, but I think you left this behind."
The man's eyes flicked toward the figure — it was a hotel staff member holding a small, familiar-looking purse.
Cassie's smile froze. "That's Amara's, isn't it?"
The staff nodded quietly and glanced at the man.
He took a slow breath, then said, "Thank you. We'll take it from here."
Cassie's gaze shifted to the purse, then back to the man, and the tension in the room grew thick, heavier than before.
The staff slipped away, closing the door gently behind them.
Cassie looked at him, suspicion and questions burning in her eyes.
He reached out, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face, but his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Looks like the past isn't done with us yet."
Cassie's eyes flared with anger as she confronted Ethan. "What did you do, Ethan? You cheated on me, didn't you? With her, right?"
Ethan smirked slightly, leaning back. "Cheated? That's a strong word, Cassie."
Cassie's voice shook with fury. "Don't play games. You've been cold, distant, and now I find out you're seeing someone else."
Ethan's gaze hardened. "Maybe you should ask yourself why I'm distant."
Cassie took a step forward, her hands clenched into fists. "Because you stopped caring! You lied to me."
Ethan's eyes darkened. "Careful, Cassie. You don't know the who
le story."