“You have crossed a line,” he said, his voice low but firm. “You have ignored the one rule I needed you to adhere to. If you want to know why I never told you what happened, it is because I knew you would do this. In giving you something small, you expected more. It is clear to me now that that will not change. You will always want more from me.”
Her chest ached at the finality in his tone, but she did not retreat.
“I will not ignore it,” she declared firmly. “I will not pretend that I do not see your scars, nor that I know your history. You cannot shut me out forever.”
“Is that truly what you think?”
“I know it to be true. It does not matter how much you try; you and I both know that you want to let me in. You can fight it all you want, but it is the truth.”
Cassian’s eyes darkened. For a long moment, he did not respond. Then, with a controlled breath, he turned and walked away.
“Cassian?” she called.
“Leave this wing whenever you please. If you know best, then so be it.”
“Cassian—”
“No, you seem to know me better than I know myself. If I am going to give in eventually, then you need not concern yourself with me. I will come to you when I decide to. Doesn’t that make sense?”
“That is not what I meant, and you know it.”
But he kept walking, leaving her in a hallway that smelled like smoke and death.
She no longer wanted to be there. She wished she had never set foot in there, but she had, and she could not have regrets. He could not conceal it from her forever.
Even so, Adelaide hurried after him, her heart pounding and her skirts brushing against the steps as she left the wing. She caught sight of him in the hall, already moving toward the front of the house.
“Cassian!” she called again, quickening her pace. “Do not walk away from me! It does not matter that you are angry with me. I do not deserve it.”
He did not turn.
She reached the bottom of the main staircase just as he stopped near the front door.
“It does not matter how I feel.” He laughed coldly. “As if I did not already know that.”
“Where are you going?” she demanded, trying to catch her breath.
He finally glanced at her, his eyes sharp. “I am leaving. Business requires my attention for the next three days.”
Her stomach sank. She knew that she was wrong and that he was angry with her, but she had not expected that he would leave her.
She did not think she deserved that.
“Three days? My friends are due to arrive within the week. What of that?”
“I will be back in time for their visit,” he said curtly, before turning to the nearest footman. “Prepare the carriage. I wish to leave immediately.”
Adelaide felt a pang of helplessness as he yanked the door open and stepped outside. The carriage arrived, its steps were lowered, and he walked toward it. She reached out as if to stop him, but he ignored her, his attention fixed on the preparations.
“So you are leaving?” she asked, her voice tight.
“Yes,” he said simply. “I have matters to attend to. Three days. That is all you need to know.”
Before she could protest again, he climbed into the carriage. The footman closed the door after him, and the vehicle lurched forward, wheels crunching over the gravel.
Adelaide remained on the front steps long after the carriage had disappeared from view. Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her, followed by a comforting hand on her shoulder.
“Try not to worry,” Iris soothed. “I told you, the fault was his. You need not blame yourself; it is who he is.”
