She couldn't remember taking any of them.
As she continued looking, realization slowly dawned on her.
Most of the photographs hadn't been posed.
In nearly every picture, she was focused on something else entirely while Cassian stood nearby. Sometimes he was standing beside her. Sometimes he was behind her. Sometimes he was looking directly at her while she remained completely unaware of him.
Someone had simply captured those moments.
Captured the countless times he had silently stayed by her side.
Captured the way his attention had always followed her, even when she wasn't looking.
Captured feelings she had been blind to for years.
Juliet felt something tighten painfully inside her chest.
Her eyes continued moving around the room, and only then did she begin noticing the other details.
Fresh flowers had been arranged throughout the room.
Elegant silver decorations lined the shelves and corners.
Even the furniture, curtains, colors, and decorations matched her personal tastes perfectly.
None of it felt like something Cassian would choose for himself.
Everything in the room had been designed according to her preferences.
The realization made her heart flutter.
Without realizing it, her eyes drifted toward the bathroom door where the faint sound of running water could be heard from inside.
A complicated expression crossed her face.
"For Vincent, I betrayed Cassian so many times. Someone even broke his shoulder because of me."
The words left a bitter taste in her mouth.
Back then, she had trusted Vincent without question. She had believed every lie he told and doubted Cassian at every opportunity. No matter how many times Cassian had tried to protect her, she had always chosen someone else.
Now that she finally understood the truth, the guilt felt almost unbearable.
A layer of moisture gathered in her eyes.
"Now that I've seen through Vincent, I'll never make those mistakes again."
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
Looking toward the bathroom door, she couldn't stop the small smile that appeared on her lips.
"Cassian is a million times better."
The thought made her chest ache.
If she had known all those years ago that he liked her... no, that he had loved her this deeply...
How different would everything have been?
