Chapter 9

Just then, the doorbell rang. "That should be the clothes," Cassidy said, finally letting out the breath she'd been holding. She felt like someone who had been drowning and had just managed to surface and breathe. The pressure Stefan had put on her earlier had been overwhelming. When he had suggested getting married, she had been so nervous that she hadn't even known where to put her hands. Stefan gave a slight nod and said nothing. Cassidy stood up and quickly went to open the door. The hotel staff outside smiled politely and handed her a bag. "Hello, miss. These are the clothes prepared according to your size." "Thank you," Cassidy replied as she took the bag and closed the door. When she returned to the living room, Stefan was no longer on the couch. She looked around and saw him standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window. He was looking at the night view outside. His silhouette was softly outlined by the warm indoor lighting. Outside, the dark night gently enveloped the hustle and bustle of the city. Neon lights flickered, and their reflections shimmered on the glass. The reflected lights outlined Stefan's figure, adding an air of mystery and depth. Cassidy stood behind him and watched quietly for a moment. An indescribable emotion arose within her. Her heart skipped a beat, and feelings she had long buried deep inside her heart stirred restlessly, threatening to resurface. She hurriedly suppressed those unfamiliar emotions. Lowering her head, she walked quickly into the bathroom. Inside the bag were two smaller pouches. Cassidy opened one and took out the underwear inside. The clothes carried a faint scent of laundry detergent and were still warm to the touch. They had just been washed and dried before being brought up. The other pouch contained a white silk camisole nightdress. Although it was winter, the heating indoors was strong. She wouldn't feel cold wearing it. After showering and drying her hair, Cassidy felt thirsty. There was no water in the bedroom, but she had seen several bottles of water on the table in the living room earlier. She opened the bedroom door and took a few steps out when the door across from her suddenly opened. Stefan stood at his door, seemingly surprised to see her in the living room. His gaze darkened slightly. "Sorry. I thought you were asleep." "It's fine," Cassidy said, waving her hands. "I just came out to get some water." Stefan didn't say anything else. He went back into his room. When the door across the hall closed, Cassidy let out a breath of relief. She took two steps forward and suddenly remembered something. She looked down at the silk camisole she was wearing. In the next moment, her entire face flushed and turned bright red. The fabric was thin, so the curves of her bosom were faintly visible. Cassidy prayed fervently that Stefan hadn't seen anything he shouldn't. … It was already 7:00 am by the time Cassidy lay down. She should have been exhausted, but she tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. The moment she thought of Kate's cancer, she couldn't help but cry. For as long as she could remember, it had just been her and Kate. When Cassidy was in kindergarten, she noticed that other children all had fathers. When she got home, she asked Kate where her father was. Kate's eyes had flickered with emotions Cassidy couldn't understand. "You don't have a father," she had said cooly. "He died long ago." Cassidy had been too young to fully understand what death really meant. She had nodded gingerly and took Kate's words for it. After that, whenever other kids asked about her father, she would say, "My father died a long time ago." Every time she said that, some children would laugh at her for not having a father. Only the kindergarten teacher would give her a sympathetic look and offer her some candy as comfort. Kate had always been a strong woman. She had supported their little family all on her own. Cassidy remembered that when she was in elementary school, Kate ran a food cart that sold breakfast food. Because her business was so good, the neighboring vendors grew jealous. They had lived in a walk-up apartment in an urban area. They couldn't bring the cart upstairs with them. So, after Kate was done with the cart for the day, she parked it in the alley downstairs. One morning, when Kate went to set the cart up for business as usual, she found that one of the wheels was missing. She didn't panic or make a fuss. She searched the area calmly. When she couldn't find it, she calmly took out her phone and called the police. Later, when Cassidy was a freshman in high school, Kate used the money she had saved from selling food to open a small diner. She sold breakfast food and simple meals. The diner was tiny. It could only fit in four tables, but there were always plenty of customers. Business was good every day. On weekends, Cassidy would go there to help by keeping watch while doing her homework. She remembered there was once a regular customer who often brought them gifts. Sometimes, he brought them some fresh fruit. Other times, it would be snacks that Cassidy liked. By then, Cassidy was already 15. She had seen some of her classmates going on dates and wasn't completely clueless about relationships. She could tell that the man liked Kate and was pursuing her. At first, Cassidy resisted the idea. She didn't want a stranger to become her father, nor did she want anyone to take Kate away from her. Every time that man came to the shop, Cassidy would give him the cold shoulder. Later on, Kate had a serious conversation with him. After that, he never came again. The summer after graduating high school, Cassidy took on a job of tutoring kids at an after-school learning center run by a classmate's relative. She earned 7,000 dollars that summer. Gold prices were lower back then. She bought Kate an exquisite gold necklace with a rose pendant that cost 1,300 dollars. When Kate received the gift, she scolded Cassidy for wasting money. However, she was secretly overjoyed and smiled for a very long time. The night before Cassidy left for college, she had a heart-to-heart talk with Kate. When Cassidy saw the wrinkles on Kate's face, she felt sorry for her. "Mom," she said. "If you meet someone who's right for you, you could try getting to know him. You've been alone all these years. You must be so lonely. Back when I was a freshman, I didn't know better. That man was a nice guy. I shouldn't have…" Kate shook her head and patted her hand gently. "Cass, it's not your fault. I know what men are after and don't ever want to remarry. I'm fine being alone." Cassidy studied diligently in college and won national scholarships every year. She also took part in various competitions and won a lot of cash prizes. She saved part of that money for herself and used the rest of it to buy Kate gifts. She bought Kate skincare products and jewelry. Although she had spent quite a bit on Isaac while dating him, all of that money had come from her part-time work. She never touched the allowance Kate transferred to her each month. The 2,000 dollars she spent monthly had all come from her own earnings and scholarships. When dawn broke, Cassidy turned over and realized the pillow was soaked. She had cried so much without even realizing it. Whenever she thought of Kate's illness, the intense pain in her chest intensified. She couldn't imagine how she would go on without Kate. Compared to that, the two years she had wasted on loving Isaac didn't seem to matter that much. Sleepiness finally overtook her, and she drifted off. Her phone lit up when she was half-asleep. A message from Isaac appeared on the screen. "Hey, babe. You called really early. What was it about? I was asleep and didn't hear my phone." Cassidy didn't reply. She flipped her phone face-down beside the pillow. Then, she closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.