Chapter 453
Finished
Chapter 453
Third Person’s POV
Cassian stared out the window, his voice a jagged rasp. “I might be a cold, calculating bastard, but don’t ever doubt this: I wanted to give Trista every piece of my soul p>
Fred stayed silent, just watching him.
He could feel Cassian’s agony–the backfire of a bond he had personally dismantled.
Even now, Cassian’s mind was a tangled mess of contradictions.
He had reached this rock bottom because of his own arrogance, yes, but also because of the suffocating environment of the Ironthorns.
Samantha had saved his life once, and that “debt” became a lens he couldn’t take off.
When she returned six years later, his guilt combined with the meddling of the pack elders to trigger the worst of his Alpha defiance.
Everyone has a different way of showing love.
Maybe Cassian really did love Trista, but that love was so heavy, so selfish, and so warped by his “profit- irst” survival instincts that he was too terrified to even look it in the eye.
Fred sighed, trying to throw him one last lifeline. “Cassian, if you know you screwed up, and you know the ›ridge is burned… and since you’re so good at weighing pros and cons… why can’t you just let go? What are you still holding onto p>
Cassian looked like the life had been sucked out of him. He slumped into the sofa, speechless.
A phone rang, slicing through the heavy air.
Fred checked the screen and stood up. “I’ve got an emergency. I have to go. I’ll call Wynn to come get you p>
Once Fred left, the booth became a tomb.
Cassian downed one drink after another. Something flickered in his mind, and he let out a sudden, self- deprecating laugh.
The more he laughed, the redder his eyes became.
This wasn’t about being stubborn. This was about not being able to let go of her.
Cassian’s hand shook as he gripped his glass.
Even if he said it out loud, who would believe him?
Even the version of him that used to control everything wouldn’t believe it–that without Trista, he’d be this close to wishing he were dead.
12:13 pm
Chapter 453
He closed his eyes, letting a tear slip.
Suddenly, a metallic, copper taste surged up his throat.
8:91
Finished
He couldn’t hold it back. Splat. A spray of bright crimson hit the white floor in front of the sofa.
“Cassian p>
Wynn burst through the door just in time to see it. She froze, horrified, before rushing over to grab him.
She pulled out her phone to call for help.
Cassian caught her hand and shook his head.
Wynn gripped his arm, tears instantly streaming down her face. “Cassian, I’m taking you to the healing center. Don’t do this to me p>
Cassian looked at his sister, his voice broken and fragile, filled with a desperate obsession. “Wynn… tell me the truth. Do you think a man like me even deserves to be forgiven p>
Wynn’s heart broke. She was sobbing too hard to speak. “Everyone makes mistakes … you just have to fix hem! Stop torturing yourself! If you keep this up, your body is going to give out p>
Cassian wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, his eyes vacant.
He used to think he could fix things, too.
He thought he had a lifetime to make amends, to win her back.
But the reality was hitting him: Trista wasn’t giving him a chance. Not a single inch.
Cassian’s health had completely bottomed out. The frequent coughing up of blood had left his face a ghostly, sickly grey.
He refused to go to the hospital, so Wynn had to threaten to call Alaina just to get him home. He spent the night hooked up to an IV drip, barely holding on,
The next morning, Wynn kept a death grip on him, dragging him out of the house.
On the way, she stopped to grab breakfast, Cassian stepped out of the car and walked into a boutique cafe near Beverly Hills–the one Trista used to love.
He ordered a classic sourdough avocado toast and an oat milk latte.
Wynn stood back, watching his silhouette, her heart aching.
These were all the things Trista used to love–the things Cassian used to mock as “nutritionally useless” and a “waste of time.” Now, he remembered them better than anyone.
When they arrived at the healing center, Wynn went to find the attending physician.
Seeing Cassian clutching the sophisticated breakfast bag, she softened. “Cassian, I can take that in for you p>
12:14 pm
Chapter 453
Finished
Cassian gripped the paper bag until his knuckles went white. “No. She’s probably busy. I’ll just drop it in her office and leave p>
Ten minutes later, Cassian knocked on the door to Trista’s office.
She was already there. Their eyes met, and the air in the room instantly froze.
Trista glanced at the clock, her voice sub–zero. “Is the Ironthorns going bankrupt? Are you so bored you don’t have pack business to attend to p>
Cassian didn’t answer. He walked in and set the breakfast on her desk.
Then his eyes drifted. On the other side of the desk sat an identical breakfast order.
Trista didn’t even look at the bag he brought. “Take your food and go. I have patients. I’m busy p>
She grabbed her own breakfast and turned to leave.
In a flash of heat, Cassian’s hand shot out and clamped around her wrist.
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Sara Lili
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.