She'd noticed that I'd changed after my trip to Hallstatt five years ago—I'd become more driven.
I flipped through the pages of the magazine and read Cassie's interview about her latest album. I read every word and sighed, relieved that she was doing good.
I'd always believed that she would become someone big in the music industry, and indeed, she'd become a superstar, just as I'd predicted.
I could see her everywhere now, and it helped because I missed her, but it didn't make me long for her any less.
I grabbed the remote on my desk and turned on the TV. I'd decided to check the entertainment news tonight before I resumed my work.
Perhaps, they would talk about her. When the entertainment newscaster gossiped about the latest Victoria's Secret fashion show, I lost my interest and shifted my attention back to my laptop.
After a while, whoever delivered the news changed the topic, and when I heard Cassie's name, I looked up again.
I was sipping my coffee when they talked about her recent trip to Maldives with Jude Scott, and I instantly spit my coffee, standing up.
My eyes widened as they showed the latest picture of her and Jude all lovey-dovey at the beach, Cassie wearing a bikini and Jude wearing boardshorts.
I felt like my heart stopped beating.
What the fuck?
The newscaster's voice echoed in my ears as she talked to her partner, "Who would have thought that Cassie and Jude would become official? What a lovely couple. Oh, Bryce, I'm so happy for them. Look at them. Theylook so happy. What a perfect couple."
"I, on the contrary, have expected this big reveal, Rose. Most of their fans have already predicted this. Haven't you seen all those Instagram fan accounts who ship them?"
"What? Wow. I have to check them out. What's the ship name?"
"Something like 'Jassie.'"
"That's a perfect name. Oh, look at that picture, the way they stared at each other. Gosh, I have butterflies in my tummy..."
Whatever else they said faded out as my eyes zoomed in on another picture of Cassie and Jude playing with the waves, especially on Jude's hands, which were grabbing Cassie's ass. Her fucking ass, which was only covered in that fucking thin bikini bottom.
My rage was enough to make me want to kill that fucking bastard—I didn't even realize I’d knocked the cup of coffee off my desk, making it clatter on the floor.
The anger inside me was as powerful as the agony I was feeling.
What the hell is this? Why is she with that jerk? Are they dating?
But Cassie wouldn't date anyone because we made a promise. We promised that we wouldn't betray each other.
Cassie promised she would wait for me.
Am I taking too long? Does she not want to wait for me anymore? Is this what she meant when she begged me to come back to her after five years instead of seven years?
Can't she wait for another two years?
But I'm almost done. It's just a little bit more until I can secure my father's company. I've been trying my best to make it five years.
I couldn't believe my eyes. My whole body was shaking. Cassie wouldn't do this. She wouldn't betray me.
Or had I been a fool all this time? This was kind of realistic. No girl would believe a man who gave her his word and a ring but then vanished into thin air.
Was I the only one who thought that we were real? I should have expected this when I didn’t see her wearing her ring anymore.
But I'd thought that it was because she'd become a celebrity,that she might want to escape questions upon questions about the ring if she kept wearing it in public.
I'd never thought that she might have trashed it, along with my heart, which was bleeding now.
