The rain started just as Raina closed the café that Friday evening. The soft drizzle blurred the city lights, and the air smelled of wet pavement and coffee beans. She wrapped her scarf tighter, checking her phone.
Cassian hadn't called all day.
It wasn't like him — at least, not since he reappeared.
She told herself not to overthink it.
But old habits — and old scars — ran deep.
At home, Liam sat on the living room floor, building something elaborate with LEGOs. "Is Dad coming?"
Raina hesitated. "He might be busy today."
Liam's face fell slightly, but he nodded and kept building.
She hated how quickly he hid his disappointment. He was used to adapting. Used to being okay without promises.
Used to being without Cassian.
Raina poured herself tea, sat beside him, and tried to pretend her chest wasn't tightening with every tick of the clock.
—
Across town, Cassian stood in his office, jaw clenched as his lawyer laid out the contract details.
His father had found out about Liam.
And the board wasn't happy.
"You were supposed to be the clean heir," the lawyer said. "No surprises. No scandals."
"He's not a scandal," Cassian snapped.
"No, but this changes things. You know the company bylaws. If you're going to keep the succession plan intact, you may have to make it… official."
Cassian stared. "Official?"
"Claim the child. Publicly. Possibly pursue custody. Or—" The lawyer paused. "Let it go. Quietly. Walk away."
Cassian's fists curled. Walk away?
Not this time.
He had walked away once and lost everything. He wasn't making that mistake again — even if it meant going against his family, his board, and the empire he'd built.
But that decision came with consequences.
And he hadn't told Raina yet.
—
The next day, Cassian showed up at her door, soaked and unshaven, looking like he hadn't slept. Raina opened the door slowly.
"You disappeared," she said, arms crossed.
"I had to handle something," he said. "Family stuff."
She arched her brow. "Still letting them control your life?"
"This isn't about control. It's about protecting you. And Liam."
Raina's gaze sharpened. "From what?"
Cassian stepped inside, running a hand through his damp hair. "The press. The board. If word gets out, they'll tear into everything — you, Liam, our past."
"So your solution is to ghost us?"
"No—my solution is to fix this. Quietly."
She laughed bitterly. "You think you can control everything, don't you?"
"I'm trying to do what's right."
"For who, Cassian?" Her voice cracked. "For us, or for your image?"
Silence.
Cassian stepped closer. "For you. For him. I'm not proud of who I was. But I want to be someone he can be proud of."
Raina's eyes glistened, but her jaw remained firm. "Then stop disappearing. Show up. Even when it's messy. Especially when it's messy."
Cassian nodded slowly, a weight pressing into his shoulders.
This wasn't just about proving himself to her.
It was about becoming the father Liam needed — and the man Raina once believed in.
As he left that night, Raina watched him walk down the steps and into the rain again.
And though part of her still feared the storm, a deeper part — a quieter part — hoped he wouldn't let it wash him away this time.