Rain battered the city like a war drum, heavy and relentless. The windows of the penthouse fogged slightly, the skyline blurred behind streaks of water. Inside, the warmth was deceptive — because between Raina and Cassian, a silent cold had begun to settle.
It started with a phone call.
A woman's voice.
Her name was Elara — sleek, poised, polished. One of Cassian's former business liaisons. She spoke with familiarity, her laughter too personal.
And Raina heard it all.
"Zurich's board said if you weren't there, the deal was off. They need the Cassian Drake touch," Elara had said, teasing. "I miss those long nights at the Carlton, don't you?"
Raina's heart had dropped. Cassian hadn't mentioned any late nights — hadn't even mentioned Elara.
Now he stood by the window, drink in hand, back turned.
"You're not going to say anything?" Raina asked, arms crossed.
Cassian exhaled. "You heard the call."
"I did."
"She was flirting. I wasn't."
"You should've told me she was part of this deal. Or that you'd shared 'long nights' before."
He turned slowly. "I didn't think it mattered."
"It matters to me."
Silence. Heavy and bitter.
"You want honesty, Raina?" he said, voice low. "Yes, we were involved — years ago. Before Liam. Before us. It ended before anything serious started."
She stared at him, jaw clenched. "And now?"
"Now she's just business."
"But she wasn't just business once. And you kept that from me."
Cassian stepped closer, but she stepped back. That single movement cut deeper than any words.
"I'm not the same man, Raina. You said you believed that."
"I want to. God, I want to believe you. But every time I start to trust, something pulls me back."
"Then let me fight for it."
"Trust isn't a fight, Cassian. It's earned."
The next few days passed like fog — routines performed in silence. Liam felt it too, his usually bright demeanor dimmed by the tension.
Cassian tried — he helped with homework, made Raina coffee, stayed up with Liam through a bad dream. But Raina remained distant.
Until one night, Cassian found her on the rooftop garden.
She was staring at the rain.
"I don't want to be the jealous woman," she said without turning. "But I'm scared."
"Of her?" he asked softly.
"No. Of losing myself in you again."
He stepped beside her. "You never lost yourself. You saved me."
She looked at him finally, eyes wet. "You broke me, Cassian. And now… I'm scared to let you rebuild me only to shatter everything again."
Cassian gently took her hand.
"I don't want to rebuild you. I want to stand beside you while you rise — stronger than both of us were before."
She studied him — this man who had once chosen ambition over love, silence over honesty.
And now stood here, heart in his hands.
"I'm still angry," she whispered.
"I know."
"But I don't want to let that anger be louder than what we have."
He exhaled, relief flickering in his eyes. "Then let's take it slow. No pressure. No expectations. Just… us."
Raina leaned into him, resting her head on his chest. The rain softened around them, a hush in the air.
"I'll always have doubts," she murmured.
"Then I'll spend my life proving them wrong."
The next morning, a surprise awaited her.
On the dining table: a small envelope. Inside, a handwritten note.
"Today, I let go of Zurich."
Attached was the cancellation contract — the multi-million-dollar deal Cassian had worked on for months.
Raina stared, stunned.
Cassian entered, quiet. "I realized no deal is worth risking what I have with you and Liam."
"You let it go… for me?"
"For us. I'd rather build something lasting here than chase ghosts across oceans."
Her walls crumbled.
Not because of the grand gesture.
But because it was real.
Because for the first time, she felt chosen.
Not convenient.
Not tolerated.
Chosen.
That night, she wrapped her arms around him as they stood on the balcony.
"I forgive you," she whispered.
Cassian closed his eyes, resting his forehead against hers.
And for the first time in a long time, neither of them felt like they were holding their breath.
They were healing — slowly, painfully, truthfully.
Together.