Cassie's fingers were tight around Bella's wrist.
Not enough to bruise. Not enough for anyone across the room to gasp. Just enough that Bella felt it in her pulse.
A private grip.
A message disguised as friendship.
Bella stared at Cassie's hand like she'd never seen it before.
Cassie's nails were manicured pale pink, perfect and harmless-looking. Her skin was warm. Familiar. Everything about her screamed soft.
And yet the pressure didn't soften.
Cassie smiled at Bella like they were sharing a joke.
"Say goodbye properly," Cassie repeated, still sweet.
Bella swallowed. Her throat felt dry. She tried to pull her wrist back gently, the way she always did when she didn't want to make a scene.
Cassie's grip held.
Bella's stomach dropped.
Lucian's hand closed over Cassie's wrist.
Not rough.
Final.
Cassie's smile didn't move, but her eyes flashed.
"Don't touch me," Cassie said lightly, like she was teasing.
Lucian didn't return the tone. "Let her go."
People were starting to notice.
Not openly. Not enough to make a crowd. But conversations around them slowed. Heads tilted. Eyes drifted over like sharks scenting something interesting.
Bella felt heat crawl up her neck.
She hated being watched.
Cassie's smile turned brighter, louder. "Lucian, you're being dramatic," she said, turning slightly so the onlookers could see her angel face. "Bella's just overwhelmed. I'm calming her down."
Lucian's gaze was flat. "You're holding her."
Cassie laughed. "She's my best friend. I'm allowed."
Bella's wrist throbbed under Cassie's grip. Bella tried to speak—something calm, something that would end this without making it worse—but her mouth wouldn't cooperate. The words jammed behind her teeth.
Overwhelmed.
Cassie had used that word on her like a label.
It made people forgiving. It made Bella small. It made Cassie look kind.
Bella hated the label.
Lucian's voice lowered. "Bella. Come."
The way he said it wasn't a command for the room. It was a lifeline thrown softly, like he didn't want to pull too hard and snap it.
Bella inhaled.
Cassie leaned closer, still smiling. Her lips brushed Bella's ear.
"You're making me look bad," Cassie whispered.
Bella's stomach flipped.
Cassie pulled back instantly, angel again. "Bells," she said sweetly, "don't do this. Not tonight. Not in front of everyone."
Not in front of everyone.
Bella's throat tightened. Cassie kept saying it like Bella was the one misbehaving.
Alan watched from beside Cassie, his hand still resting on Cassie's waist, posture relaxed like he enjoyed the show. His eyes were on Bella with an amused, hungry glint.
Bella's skin crawled.
Alan spoke, voice smooth. "Lucian, let her breathe. You're suffocating her."
Lucian didn't look at Alan. He looked at Cassie's hand on Bella.
"Release," Lucian said.
Cassie's smile thinned.
Then, slowly, Cassie loosened her fingers and let Bella's wrist go, as if she'd chosen to be generous.
Bella's hand lifted reflexively to rub the spot. It didn't hurt much, but the message stayed.
Cassie stepped back half a pace, hands raised in surrender, laughing lightly. "There. Happy?"
Lucian's hand slid to Bella's lower back again, steady. "We're leaving."
Cassie's eyes widened, exaggerated. "Leaving? Already? Bella, come on. You just got here."
Bella stared at Cassie.
Cassie's smile was still there, but it felt different now. Like it was strapped on too tight. Like there was something underneath it pressing to get out.
Bella's mind flicked through memories she'd never questioned.
Cassie guiding her by the elbow at parties.
Cassie laughing when people called Bella "intense."
Cassie always standing beside Bella in photos, bright against Bella's darkness.
Heaven and hell.
Bella's stomach twisted.
Cassie reached for Bella's hand again, gentler this time, like she was correcting herself. "Bells," Cassie murmured, "don't punish me because you're mad at your husband."
Bella's chest tightened.
"I'm not punishing you," Bella said, voice rough.
Cassie's eyes softened. "Then stay."
Bella hesitated.
Lucian's hand pressed lightly at her back. The pressure wasn't painful. It was stabilizing, like he could feel her wobble inside herself.
Alan smiled. "If she stays, Lucian, are you going to let her talk? Or are you going to stand there glowering like a guard dog?"
A couple of people nearby laughed.
Bella's cheeks burned.
Lucian's voice stayed calm. "We're leaving."
Cassie's eyes flicked over Lucian's shoulder, scanning the room. Bella didn't know what she was looking for until Cassie's gaze landed on a server walking past with a tray of drinks.
Cassie's smile brightened.
"Okay," Cassie chirped suddenly. "If you're leaving, at least take a drink first. For the road. Something to loosen you up, Bells. You've been so tense."
Bella's stomach dipped.
Lucian's voice cut in instantly. "No."
Cassie blinked innocently. "It's champagne."
Lucian's gaze was flat. "No."
Cassie laughed lightly as if he was ridiculous. "You're acting like I'm trying to drug her."
The words hit Bella like ice.
Drug.
Bella stared at Cassie.
Cassie's smile stayed in place, but her eyes flickered—just a fraction.
Bella's pulse kicked hard.
Cassie's voice softened, coaxing. "Bells, you're not going to let him control everything, are you? You're not going to let him take you home like a punished child?"
Bella's throat tightened.
Bella didn't want to go home.
Home wasn't home. Home was Lucian's silent house and restricted signals and separate rooms.
Home was being watched.
Home was being told she was alive like she was someone who might die without permission.
Bella's chest rose fast.
Cassie reached toward the tray, plucked a glass with effortless ease, and held it out to Bella.
The pale gold liquid bubbled under the lights.
"Just one sip," Cassie whispered, smiling. "For me."
Lucian's hand tightened at Bella's back, and this time the pressure felt like steel.
"Bella," Lucian said quietly, "don't."
Bella's eyes darted between them.
Cassie's angel smile.
Lucian's warning gaze.
Alan's amused smirk.
The room held its breath around them.
Bella's pride flared hot. She was tired of being handled. Tired of being told what to do.
It was just champagne.
Cassie wouldn't hurt her.
Cassie was her friend.
Bella lifted her hand toward the glass.
Lucian's fingers closed around her wrist—not hurting, but stopping her.
"Don't," he repeated.
Cassie's smile sharpened. "Wow," she murmured, still sweet. "He really does own you now."
Bella's chest tightened. "He doesn't—"
Cassie tilted her head, eyes bright. "Then prove it."
Bella's breath caught.
Prove it.
The same words Lucian had used earlier, but Cassie's version tasted different. Hers wasn't about independence. It was about obedience to Cassie's narrative. About returning to the role Cassie understood.
Bella felt something inside her split.
She could feel herself teetering on the edge of a choice she didn't understand.
Lucian's grip stayed steady. Cassie's glass hovered inches away.
Bella's hand trembled.
Then Cassie leaned in, voice so soft it sounded like love.
"Bells," she whispered, "drink."
Bella looked at Cassie's eyes.
And for the first time, the angel's gaze didn't feel warm.
It felt hungry.
Bella's fingers closed around the glass.
Lucian's grip tightened too late.
Bella brought it to her lips—
—and drank.