CASSANDRA
Cassandra can’t sleep. She’s tired, but her mind won’t shut off. After fifteen minutes of tossing and turning, she gives up and heads out to the balcony.
The night air is cool, the stars are bright, but she can’t enjoy it. Instead, she pulls out her phone and dials Emilio. When it goes straight. to voicemail, she’s disappointed but not surprised.
At breakfast, Emilia tries to comfort her. “Cassandra, honey, you need to rest. Don’t beat yourself up. Emilio just needs time to process everything… You need to take care of yourself for him and for the kids.”
“But he didn’t come home last night, and he’s not answering my calls. I’m worried.”
“He’ll come home when he’s ready. Now, eat your breakfast.”
After breakfast, Cassandra takes Alex for a walk, hoping it be found. She misses him, craves his touch, his kisses,
help clear her head. But when they get back, Emilio is still nowhere to
Late that night, Emilio finally comes home. He’s wearing different clothes, but at least he’s sober.
“Emiliano,” she says, but he walks past her and heads straight for the bathroom, locking the door behind him.
That’s okay, she thinks as she hears the shower start. Leon wait.
As she waits, Cassandra can’t help but wonder if he was with someone else last night. Is that why he didn’t come home?
No, Cass, don’t think like that. Emilio is a good, loyal man. He wouldn’t do that to you.
When the bathroom door opens, Cassandra stands up. They look at each other, neither of them speaking. The smell of his shower gel fills the room, making her skin tingle. She wants him, wants him to hold her to love her.
“We need to talk, Emilio, I understand why you’re angry, but you can’t ignore me forever.”
He’s only wearing a towel, and it’s hanging so low on his hips it looks like it could fall at any moment. Water droplets are running down his chest, and all she wants to do is wipe them away. It’s distracting, but they need to talk, and thinking about him naked isn’t going to help.
“I can see every thought in your eyes,” Emilio says, pulling her back to reality.
Cassandra feels her cheeks heat up. “Where were you? I tri
? I tried calling you last night. I was worried.”
“Were you really?” He raises an eyebrow.
“Yes, I was. You’re my husband, and I love you… It’s natural for me to
“I find that hard to believe,” he says.
“Believe it or not, it’s the truth.”
“How can I trust anything you say after you !
you lied to me?
worry
about you.”
“I didn’t lie to you; it just wasn’t my place to tell you. That was your mother’s right, not mine.”
Emilio steps away from the bathroom door and stands in front of Cassandra. His fingers gently trace her cheeks, and she trembles at the contact, her eyes falling shut. It feels like forever since he last touched her.
“I might have forgiven you if you had told me the truth sooner, but now I’m not so sure.” Her eyes snap open at his words. “I trusted you, sweetheart. I believed in you, in us, but you broke that trust. You shattered it.
“I remember asking if there was anything else you wanted to tell me, but you looked me in the eyes and said ‘no.” So, how can I believe what you’re saying now? How do I know you’re being honest‘“””
“Emiliano, I-”
“Besides my mother and some family members, you’re the first woman I’ve ever trusted, the first woman I’ve felt this close to.. woman I fell in love with.” Cassandra’s eyes widen at his confession. “You were the first woman I thought actually loved me for who I
the first
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“I do,” she manages to say, her throat tight. Tears fill her eyes.
“But you broke that trust, sweetheart. You reminded me why I never trusted anyone in the first place.”
“Don’t say 1
that. We…we can work this out.”
“How? How can we when I don’t trust you, when it’s hard for me to believe you? How can we work this out?”
“We’ll find a way.” Cassandra insists.
“It’s hard for me to trust anyone, and when I do, it’s with all my heart… You’re my wife, the one person I expect not to lie to me or keep secrets from me. How can I trust you now ?**
Before Cassandra can respond, Emilio changes the subject. “Go to bed, get some rest. I’m leaving for New York tonight, and no, you and Alex aren’t coming. I need some space to process all of this.”
“How long will you be gone? She’s afraid of his answer.
“As long as it takes.”
And just like that, he leaves for New York that night, without even saying goodbye.
In the days that follow, Cassandra’s world falls apart. Emilio doesn’t call, and when she tries to reach him, his phone goes straight to
voicemail.
She keeps telling herself he just needs time and space, that he’ll reach out when he’s ready, but who is she kidding? It’s clear he wants nothing to do with her. She’s lost his love, and his trust.
Cassandra had thought he didn’t love her, but he did, and she was too blind to see it all because she believed a man like him could never love a woman like her. The signs were there, but she ignored them, and now she regrets it.
