Page 81 of Sinful Obsession
Cassian’s face went still, carved from stone, but his eyes searched the graves as if they might confess what my lips wouldn’t. His voice cracked when he finally spoke.
“Did they look like me?” A pause. “Did they... know about me?”
I forced myself to hold his gaze, steady, even as my chest burned.
“Yes.” The word cut like glass. “I told them their father cast me out like filth. And yes, they both had your eyes.”
His fists clenched, knuckles white, regret etched into every line of his face. “I fucked up. Again.” He grabbed my arms gently, his touch electric despite my anger. “Charlotte, I’m so sorry.”
I smirked, pulling away. “Sorry? That’s all you’ve got?”
“I know apologies can’t undo what I did,” he said, his voice raw, his blue eyes glistening with unshed tears.
“But I didn’t send you away because I thought you carried another man’s child. I was facing a fourth surgery three months later—cancer, they said, less than a ten percent chance of survival. I was sure I’d die. I wanted you free, Charlotte, free from my world, my chains.”
I swallowed hard, his words slicing through me. “I was pregnant with your child, Cassian, and you wouldn’t even believe me.”
“The logic didn’t add up,” he exhaled shakily.
“No man would’ve believed it. But I was wrong not to give you a chance. From the moment you left, I had nine bodyguards watching you in secret. Your father, Luca, Artem—they tried to find you, but I made sure they couldn’t. How do you think you made it out of the States without being stopped?”
My breath hitched, shock mingling with anger.
“So I’m supposed to forgive you because your reasons were noble?” I snapped. “You sent me away, Cassian. No excuse changes that. I was pregnant, alone, with no one to lean on. My back ached every night, no one to rub it. Morning sickness that lasted all day, no one to bring me water. Labor pains for hours, screaming in a hospital with strangers, no family to hold my hand. The twins—God, they were so heavy, pressing on my spine, kicking until I couldn’t sleep. And after, raising them alone, every fever, every tear, every moment I thought I’d break. You weren’t there.”
“And they died,” I added, the lie bitter but necessary, “and I watched them slip away, helpless. You come here now, asking for forgiveness? We’re not destined to be together, Cassian. Six years is long enough to move on.”
“Have you?” he asked, his voice sharp, eyes flicking back to the graves. “With that man who dropped you off?”
“Have you slept with another woman since you threw me out like trash?” I shot back, turning his question against him.
“No,” he said, his voice fierce. “You’re the last woman I’ll ever touch, Charlotte.”
His words hit like a wave, stirring the love I’d buried deep.
I pushed it down, stepping away.
“Marry me, Charlotte,” he said, his voice a plea as we walked back to the car. “I’ll leave everything in New York—my empire, my name—and come here for you.”
“I can’t be with you again, let alone marry you,” I said, climbing into the passenger seat, my heart heavy. “And no, that man wasn’t my lover. He’s just my boss, Viktor Kuznetsov.”
Cassian nodded, his jaw tight as he started the engine. “I see.”
“Drop me off at work,” I said, giving him the address for Aurora Designs.
He drove in silence, the city flashing by, my mind a tangle of pain and resolve.
“So, are you leaving Russia soon?” I asked, my voice sharp.
Cassian’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. “My life’s meaningless without you, Charlotte,” he said, his voice raw with that obsessive intensity that used to make my knees weak. “So, no, I’m staying here until... until I force destiny to put us back together. I still fucking love you, and I will until my last breath.”
“Your last breath?” I snapped, my tone biting.
“I’m not dying anytime soon,” he said, his blue eyes flicking to me briefly. “I’m fine now.”
I laughed bitterly, shaking my head. “I can’t believe a word you say, Cassian. Six years ago, you swore you were fine, too. If you really loved me, why couldn’t you tell me about your health? You think I’m too weak to handle it?”
“I didn’t want you to worry,” he cut in.
