Arabella stood at the window, watching the city buzz below, notebook in hand. She hadn't said a word all morning.
Cassian sat on the edge of the bed, his shirt half-buttoned, watching her.
He knew.
She turned slowly. Calm. Too calm.
"I found her apartment."
Cassian didn't flinch.
"She left something for me," Arabella said. "A journal. Addressed to A.Q."
Still, silence.
"She knew me. Before I even knew you."
She walked closer. "And she thought you were using her… to get to me."
That broke something in him.
Cassian stood. "It wasn't like that."
Arabella raised the journal. "Then tell me what it was like."
---
He raked a hand through his hair. "She was obsessed with you."
Arabella blinked.
"She knew your father. Used to follow your public life. Said you had the perfect world. She wanted to be you — or at least beat you."
"Beat me?" Arabella whispered.
"She applied for everything you did. Schools. Internships. Jobs. She always fell short. Until she met me."
Arabella's voice shook. "And you dated her… because she hated me?"
"No." His jaw tensed. "I didn't know at first. But eventually… she told me. And I let it continue."
"Why?"
Cassian's eyes met hers.
"I was angry at you."
---
The words hit like a slap.
Arabella laughed — bitter and sharp. "What did I ever do to you?"
Cassian stepped forward. "You don't remember, do you?"
"Remember what?"
He exhaled. "We were kids. At a wedding. I was invisible. Just a skinny boy in the back row. You were in pink heels, holding the crowd like a princess."
Arabella blinked, then slowly… the memory returned.
The garden. The boy by the pond.
"You gave me your cupcake," he said quietly. "And I thought it meant something."
Arabella's lips parted.
"You forgot me two days later," Cassian said. "I never forgot you."
---
He looked away.
"I built a wall. Told myself you were just another spoiled heiress. But when your father suggested this marriage, I said yes."
"To get revenge?" she whispered.
He didn't deny it.
Arabella's throat burned. "So all of this—"
"No." He grabbed her hand. "That's where it started. But it's not where it ends. I didn't expect you. Not the fire. Not the fight. Not the you behind the glitter."
---
She stared at him.
Betrayal. Hurt. But something else beneath it.
She'd spent her life floating. But Cassian had watched her — truly seen her — even when it was twisted by resentment.
Now… she didn't know what to believe.
"I don't know if I can forgive you," she said.
"I don't expect you to."
"But I'm not running."
She looked him in the eyes.
"You got my attention, Cassian Vale. Let's see what you do with it."
---