CASSANDRA
Cassandra mentally kicks herself for letting her emotions show so openly. How could she forget that he can read her like an open book? She needs to keep her feelings in check when she’s with him, not let them show.
Still holding Alex, Emilio wraps his free arm around her neck and pulls her close.
“W–what are you doing?” Cassandra asks nervously.
He answers by planting a light kiss on her lips. When they pull apart, desire is clear in his eyes. The arm around her neck falls to her
waist.
“Come on,” he says, leading her and Alex back to the dining room,
Emilio, true to his promise, takes them out after breakfast, showing them the beautiful sights of Sarrià–Sant Gervasi. As they walk around Vallvidrera Reservoir, Cassandra hangs onto every word Emilio shares about the place’s history. They enjoy the planetarium and indoor rainforest at the CosmoCaixa Museum before heading to a restaurant for lunch.
Cassandra relishes these moments alone with Emilio and Alex, feeling like they’re a real, happy family.
She’s in the middle of enjoying her ice cream when her phone rings. It’s Gwen.
“Hey, stranger,” Gwen greets her. “You’ve stopped calling—what’s up?”
“I’m sorry, Gwen, I’ve been busy.” She smiles, watching Emilio feed Alex his bottle. He’s a natural with their son.
“Busy snagging the richest, sexiest, most handsome playboy ever… You’re right–you have been busy.”
Cassandra blushes. “Sorry, friend, I didn’t want to bother you. I’ve leaned on you enough.”
“That’s what friends are for, Cass. Thanks for the wedding invite.”
Cassandra immediately feels a pang of guilt; Gwen had been there for her when she needed someone. “Everything happened so fast, Gwen; I didn’t have time to invite anyone. Please forgive me.”
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“Only if you promise to come and visit. I miss the little guy–where is he?”
“I promise. He’s here with his dad.”
“Give him a kiss from his Aunt Gwen.” She pauses. “Why didn’t you tell me that the Emiliano Rodriguez is his father?”
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“I’ll tell you everything when we see each other,” Cassandra promises “How are you settling in?”
“Okay. I miss New York, though.”
“You’re welcome to come back.“”
“If I didn’t love my job, I would.” Gwen says. “I’ve gotta go. Don’t be a stranger.”
“I won’t Take care.”
The line goes dead.
“I thought you didn’t have any friends,” Emilio says.
“Gwen was my roommate before you decided to sell my apartment. We’ve known each other since college, and I consider her a friend, In fact, if it wasn’t for her, you and I wouldn’t be sitting together like this.”
He caps Alex’s bottle. “Meaning
“She was the one who sent my resume to your company. I didn’t know about it until a week before my interview.”
“Is she working there?”
“No, a friend of hers does. Gwen applied for me and told me afterward.”
“Were you working before you started your job at the bank?”
Cassandra shakes her head. “Our company filed for bankruptcy, and we were let go. Luckily I had some savings that kept me and Alex going until I got the job at the bank.”
“Why did you never get married?”
The question catches her off guard, Marriage hadn’t been on her mind at all; if she hadn’t met Emilio, she might never have gotten married.
“”The stable, honest, and trustworthy ones were all taken, and the ones that did show interest were only looking for a good time. Plus, there was Alex to think of. I couldn’t bring all kinds of men around–what kind of a mother would I have been?”
Her gaze lands on her son’s sleeping form.
“I’m glad I married you,” Emilio says, “If I didn’t, some other idiot would’ve swept you off your feet, and that would’ve been my
my loss.” Cassandra stares at him, transfixed. For some reason, she actually believes him. “Why didn’t you marry?” she asks.
“If there were more women like you, then maybe I would’ve fallen in love and gotten married sooner, but unfortunately, these days there’s no such thing as honesty or loyalty. People only care about how they can benefit from you.” She can hear the emptiness and coldness in his voice.
After a while, Emilio asks, “Are you ready to go?”
She nods.
They ride home in silence, and then Emilio goes upstairs to take a call. Cassandra lays Alex down in the nursery, kicks off her heels in the master, and walks over to the balcony.
Emilio was affectionate all day…almost loving, like a real husband. Although he was pretending, every caress he made, every kiss he stole made her fall deeper in love with him.
Cassandra wraps her arms around herself and sighs inwardly. For the first time ever, she feels like she belongs somewhere… like she has a home and a family. But in her heart, she knows this isn’t really her life. It can all crumble down at any moment because she loves man who is only sexually attracted to her.
