Page 19 of Cass

Skylar widens her eyes. “Dad, you said a bad word.”

“Sometimes the situation calls for it, Skylar. Aunt Cass is most definitely a bad ass. She’s very special. You should all look up to her.”

We all cheer and have our drinks.

After a while, Scott takes the girls outside to play, leaving Darian and me alone. We sit on her sofas. “Did you tell Roman yet?”

I shake my head. “No, not yet. I had Harley with me all day. I’ll tell him when I get home tonight.”

“I see. How do you think he’ll take it?”

I sigh. “Honestly, Dare, I don’t know.”

“I think you do.” She sees the tears threatening my eyes. She takes my hand. “Cassandra, you don’t need him. He doesn’t make you happy. He’s an asshole.”

I shake my head. “Dare, not everyone has what you have.”

“I understand that, but that’s not really an excuse for the way he treats you, or for the fact that you’re settling. At a bare minimum, he should celebrate you, not trivialize you. You deserve to be happy.” I look down.

“Look at me.” I do. “You’re extremely unhappy. You think I don’t notice. I’ve known you for nearly fifteen years. Of course I notice. You’re not yourself with him anymore. You walk on eggshells for crying out loud. Since when does CassandrafuckingBlackstone walk on eggshells? You’re the most unfiltered, unapologetic person I know. At least you used to be.”

That hurts, but she’s not wrong. I put my head down in shame. “What do you want me to say? I love him, Dare.”

“I don’t understand why. He’s a dick. Do you actually love him, or do you love the idea of being in love? I can’t imagine ever loving someone who mistreats me. You avoid going home most of the time. Don’t mistake me, I love having you here as much as you are, but I know it’s at least partially to avoid being at home. It shouldn’t be that way.”

I sigh again. “If I don’t have kids soon, I will likely miss my window. If I end things with Roman, it will take me years to find someone else. Then it could be too late.”

“I’m sorry, Cass, but that’s not really a reason to stay with him. Would you even want him as the father of your children? He’ll get jealous if they win a spelling bee.”

I take a breath. It isn’t the time for this type of conversation. She needs to stay focused. “I don’t want to get into all of this right now, Dare. You need a relaxing evening, and a good night’s sleep. You don’t need to deal with all of my shit tonight.”

I need to get out of here. I stand up. “Good luck tomorrow, not that you need it. You’re going to ace the exam. I love you.”

She stands and hugs me. “I love you too.” She holds my face. “You’re an amazing woman, Cassandra. You deserve everything. You deserve respect. You deserve to be loved. You deserve happiness.” I nod.

She smiles. “Congratulations on making partner. I’m so proud of you. You more than earned it. Let’s make plans to celebrate this weekend. Okay?”

I nod. “Okay. That sounds good.”

I begin my journey home. I’m honestly dreading telling Roman. I know he’s not going to be happy for me, but there’s a small part of me that hopes he will be. It may be unrealistic, but I’m still hopeful.

I must sit in my car in my driveway for an extra twenty minutes. I feel like I’m bracing for a storm. I almost feel like I shouldn’t tell him, but I know I will.

I eventually walk in the door. “Roman, I’m home.”

Roman walks out from his study. “Hey Cass. How was your day?”

Here we go. I plaster a smile on my face. “I have great news, Roman. Steven called me into his office today. I made partner.”

He rolls his eyes. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Another thing you do better than I do. How thrilling.” He doesn’t bother to attempt to hide his sarcasm.

I suppose I expected that reaction, but it still hurts. It’s a bit of a punch to the stomach. “Do you want to maybe go out and celebrate? It’s sort of a big deal.”

“Not tonight, Cass. We need to talk.” I look around the house and notice a few of our things missing.

We sit down. He gives me a resigned look. “Cass, I’m sorry, but I can’t do this anymore. I’m really unhappy in our marriage.”

He takes a deep breath. “We’re over. I want a divorce. I’ve already met with a divorce attorney. You should be hearing from him tomorrow.”

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