Page 88 of Sinful Obsession
Cassian froze, his gaze shifting to the Maybach.
My heart stopped.
I bolted from where I’d been eavesdropping, my sneakers pounding the pavement as I reached Asher and Aria.
I grabbed their hands, ignoring their startled gasps, and pulled them toward my car, my pulse roaring in my ears.
“Let’s go, now,” I whispered, my voice shaking as I shoved them into the backseat, buckling them in with frantic hands.
I slammed the door and turned, only to find Cassian standing mere feet away, his eyes locked on me, then flicking to the twins.
His expression was unreadable, but the intensity in his gaze sent a shiver through me. “Charlotte,” he said, his voice low, dangerous. “Whose kids are those?”
“How long have you been hiding them from me?” he demanded, his voice low but laced with a dangerous edge. “Pretending they’re dead? Did you think I’d just accept that?”
I tightened my grip on the car door, my knuckles whitening. “I don’t want them near you. They’ve lived five years without you, Cassian. They don’t need you now.”
His jaw clenched, but his eyes softened, a flicker of pain breaking through his iron facade. “If I’m their father, it’s not about what they need—it’s about what I need. I want a DNA sample from them before I leave. Get it for me if you’re too scared to introduce them to a ‘stranger.’”
I hesitated, my stomach twisting.
Denying it would only fuel his suspicion, and a DNA test would confirm what I already knew.
Swallowing my fear, I pulled out my phone, my fingers trembling as I opened the gallery and shoved it toward him. “There’s no need for a test. They’re yours.”
Cassian’s eyes widened as he scrolled through photos—Aria’s gap-toothed grin at her birthday, Asher’s paint-smeared face from an art class.
His expression crumpled, a raw sadness etching lines into his face.
He handed the phone back, shutting his eyes as if the weight of regret was too much to bear.
“I deserve this,” he said quietly, his voice steady but heavy with regret.
“You do,” I replied, my tone cutting. “You didn’t believe me then. You cast me aside.”
He held my gaze, the sharp edges of his expression softened by something raw, almost vulnerable. “Charlotte... I can’t undo the past. But I can fight for what’s left of us. Don’t shut me out of their lives. Give me that chance—and I swear, I’ll never doubt you again.”
“No,” I snapped, stepping closer, my voice trembling with defiance. “I’ve given you everything I could—suffered, bent, endured—but not this. Not them. And you yourself said you’re dying, didn’t you? What’s the point of tearing open their world for a father who’ll vanish in a few months?”
The words landed like a blow, and I saw the hurt flash across his face, his shoulders slumping.
But I pressed on, desperate to keep him at bay. “I carried them alone for nine months, raised them for five years. I know for a fact I don’t want you in their lives.”
His silence was deafening, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. “So you want them to grow up without a father?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted, my voice softer now, “but I’ve managed this long without you. They’re better off.”
“Go,” I said, my voice firm. “And stay away from their school.”
I turned to the driver’s seat, my hands shaking as I climbed in.
Through the rearview mirror, I saw Cassian standing there, his silhouette broken, like a man unraveling.
Asher and Aria stared out the window, their small faces pressed against the glass.
“Asher, that man looks like you,” Aria said, her voice bright with curiosity.
“Right,” Asher agreed, tilting his head. “Even his lips—kinda like yours.”
