Chapter 8

The night had fallen deep, and the sprawling Bennett estate looked even more solemn and cold under the dark sky. Wind threaded through the trees, rustling the leaves with a soft, eerie hum. Footsteps approached fast, breaking undisturbed silence like a sudden crack. A tall man dragged a petite woman all the way into the bedroom before finally letting go. He slammed the door shut behind them with a heavy thud. This room had always made Sabrina feel tense. Maybe it was because the memories she had here were anything but happy. Cassian stood with his back to her for what felt like an eternity. That silence? Suffocating. Eventually, he turned around. His deep, unreadable eyes locked onto her face and didn't waver. Sabrina met his stare head-on. For a moment, neither of them spoke-just sizing one another up. She'd already bumped into him earlier in Matilda's room, but now standing here, face to face, her heart still skipped a beat. This was her husband-the man who was supposed to be her other half. He was ridiculously handsome, no doubt about it. But his eyes were cold, distant, like he was impossible to get close to. Still dressed in his sharp suit, Cassian looked like he'd just stepped out of a magazine shoot. Sabrina's heart pounded at the sight of him. She used to think, maybe her reason for running away was that her husband was either a slob or a hideous monster. But no, this man was flawless. Stunning, even. And yet, she'd left him, risked everything to run away with someone else? Was it really just a broken relationship, or was there more to the story? Cassian clasped his hands behind his back and stared at her without a trace of emotion. "Since you came back, why did you leave again?" So he knew she'd been here. Sabrina was a little surprised but didn't try to sidestep it. "Relax, Mr. Bennett. You've got plenty of pricey stuff in this room, sure-but not a single thing I care about." Cassian narrowed his eyes. He scanned her face, his gaze sharp enough to pierce right through her. Sabrina could barely stand his gaze-it felt like he was dissecting her with a scalpel. The guy had this terrifying presence that made even breathing feel like work. Her instinct screamed at her to run. Maybe that's exactly what her past self had done. She took a deep breath and pressed on. "Mr. Bennett, enough already. Let's just deal with this head-on." He stood tall, eyes fixed on her with unreadable calm. But that blankness only made her more uncertain. Still, she faced him straight on. "It's the 21st century. People have the freedom to choose who they spend their lives with. And if... if there's nothing left between us, maybe it's time to stop pretending." Cassian stared at her. And for no clear reason, her throat suddenly felt dry. She kept going. "Let's just get divorced, Mr. Bennett." The air froze. She caught a glimpse of storm clouds building behind his eyes, and her heart jumped. She must've hit a nerve. Whatever grip he had on his calm? Gone in an instant. She was scared, yeah. But she didn't regret it. If she'd run before, it must've been because she'd reached a breaking point. Just ten minutes near him now had every cell in her body screaming "danger." That fear alone told her everything-she had to get away from this man. He didn't speak, didn't move. So she walked over to the desk, grabbed some paper and a pen, then pushed it toward him. "You write the divorce terms, however you want. I don't care. I don't want a thing." Cassian glanced at the paper. That one look snapped the final thread of his control. Without warning, he grabbed her by the throat and slammed her against the cold wall. He had height, he had strength-there was no contest. Trying to fight back was like a bug hitting a windshield. He was so close, their noses almost touched. His icy breath hit her skin, and Sabrina couldn't stop herself from trembling. She quickly turned her head away. But Cassian didn't let her go. He held her chin and forced her to face him again. His eyes burned into hers. "Who are you?"