Page 98 of Crushed Vow
I nodded slowly. “A lot.”
He was quiet for a beat.
Then: “I was thinking... maybe we could watch something. A movie. I set up the theatre room.”
I swallowed the answer down, keeping my eyes on the ceiling.
“I don’t want to watch a movie with you,” I said quietly.
What I didn’t say:I’m afraid if I sit too close, I might start to remember how much I once loved you.
And how much it still hurts to bleed in front of you now.
I could see the look of defeat flicker across his face—the way his shoulders sank ever so slightly, how his lips parted like he was about to say something but thought better of it.
But I didn’t care.
I wasn’t watching a movie with him.
That was final.
“You’ve been hiding something from me,” I said quietly. My voice was steady, but there was a weight to it. “And you’ve refused to tell me. Why?”
Cassian was standing near the bookshelf, one hand resting against it like he needed the grounding. He turned slightly, his face unreadable. “I already told you. It’s not important.”
“Not important,” I repeated, tasting the bitterness of the words as they curled off my tongue.
I looked away, “I should go.”
“No.” His voice cracked like a whip. “Stay. At least until you’re better.”
“No.” I rose slowly, trying not to wince, my body still a battlefield of pulsing pain. “And thank you for today. But I can’t keep pretending.”
I started for the door, each step stiff with defiance and ache, but he moved faster. His hand found my uninjured wrist, gentle yet impossible to ignore. “Some things are better left unsaid, Charlotte. You don’t have to be angry about that.”
I smirked coldly. “You think this is about that secret?” My eyes shimmered, not with tears, but fury. “You think I’m angry over words unsaid?” I turned fully to face him, rage flickering behind my calm mask. “You think what happened yesterday... the humiliation... the past you keep shoving into shadows—it all just vanished from my memory?”
His jaw tightened, but he said nothing.
“It’s enough that I spent the night here,” I added, voice rising. “But I won’t stay.”
I tried to pull away from him, but he didn’t let go.
“I already had those boys from yesterday apprehended,” he said quietly, like he thought it would make a difference.
“Let them go,” I snapped, brows furrowing. “It’s useless now. The damage is done, Cassian. The humiliation I suffered yesterday can’t be undone—it’s permanent.”
I tore my hand from his grip and turned to the door. But just before I twisted the knob, I looked back.
“I’m going to see Ethan today,” I said. “And you can’t come with me.”
He stepped forward. “Charlotte, you’re injured. You could barely walk this morning. How are you still thinking about running off—?”
“Because I promised him I would,” I bit out. “Because he makes me feel safe. Because Ethan would never stand by and let strangers mock me while he watched in silence.”
I paused, my voice trembling.
“And because no matter how much you beg or say you’ve changed, you’re still Cassian. And Cassian... doesn’t know how to protect the things he loves. You can’t change that.”
