Page 114 of Most Likely to Fear Love

Hannah glanced at Mia, who suddenly looked equally uncomfortable. “Well, um... that day when Mia and I found youcrying on the kitchen floor... we, uh, might’ve taken his money and hired a PI. That’s her report.”

My stomach dropped. “You what?”

Mia stepped forward quickly, hands raised in surrender. “It wasn’t like that, Cass! You were spiraling, and we needed to make sure he was who he said he was.”

Hannah nodded frantically. “He gave you that money for a reason, Cass. We just followed through.”

I stared at the envelope in my hands, my heart racing. “Fuck.”

“It kinda gets worse,” Mia’s voice was shaking. “Or maybe not. Depends how you look at it.”

“How so?” Now I was confused as well as sick.

“Harle caught the PI following him and, he, um, approached her.”

My blood ran cold. “Oh God.”

“But, you know, plot twist!”

“Jesus, Hannah! What do you mean, plot twist?”

“He invited her to follow him home and when she did, he handed over his laptop and let her go nuts.”

“Oh okay. That’s good right? That’s a good sign?”

Hannah nodded. “The PI said she’s never had anyone do that before and that he, uh, seems like a great guy.”

That actually made me smile. “He is.”I exhaled a shaky breath, clutching the envelope tightly. “Thanks for looking out for me.”

Hannah stepped back, grinning. “You’re welcome. Now go.”

“I have no idea what I’m going to say to him.”

“Start with ‘I’m sorry,’” Maya suggested. “The rest will figure itself out.”

And with that piece of wisdom, I got in my car. This was it. The moment everything changed.

Hopefully.

Oh fuck.

HARLE

Iwaded into the lake, still wearing my jeans and t-shirt. The water felt shockingly cold against my skin, but that was what I wanted. I needed something, anything, to numb the ache. When it was deep enough, I dove under, the chill biting at my body as I cut through the water. The world went silent, muffled by the water pressing against my ears.

My lungs started to ache, so I surfaced and stood, sluicing my hair back, my eyes fixed on the far shore.

Nothing had come from Hannah hiring the PI. No word from Cassidy.

My chest hurt. A deep, hollow pain that nothing seemed to fill, no matter how I tried. I rubbed at it absently, my gaze unfocused as it swept over the rippling water and the distant tree line. It should have been peaceful. It should have helped. But nothing seemed to take the edge off anymore.

Everything was filled with memories of Cassidy. The way her lips curved when she was teasing me about something, that half-smile that always felt like it was meant just for me. The quiet, almost absent-minded way she’d tuck her hair behind her ear when she was thinking. How she smelled. All soft, sweet, like rain and fresh linen. It all lived in my mind now, uninvited butso fucking vivid. And every single memory hit like a punch to the gut, a reminder of what I’d almost had, and what I’d completely lost.

I dragged a hand down my face, the cold water dripping off me doing nothing to ease the heat behind my eyes. I hadn’t counted on this. On how completely she’d burrowed into me, leaving nothing untouched. I thought I could handle it. That I could give her the space she needed, keep my emotions in check, and wait her out. But this? This was unbearable. Cassidy was gone, and it felt like she’d taken some essential piece of me with her.

I dragged in air, trying to force the tightness in my chest to ease, the cold water lapping at my sides, grounding me in the here and now. But the hurt persisted, and all I could do was stand there, staring at the lake, drowning in the ache of loving her.

CASSIDY

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