Chapter 7-8
The engagement day loomed closer, yet Cassandra felt like a ghost haunting her own life. Every step she took was weighed down by the growing arsenal of evidence against Matthew. She would endure this. betrayal for now, but when the time came, she would strike with precision.
It wasn’t long before Julia found another chance to flaunt her dominance. At the engagement venue, she sauntered in, dressed to turn heads, her every move a deliberate challenge to Cassandra.
“You look lovely today,” Julia sneered. “Though I must say, age doesn‘ t flatter
everyone.
Cassandra’s smile didn‘ t waver. “And you‘ re as bold as ever, Ms. Julia. I do hope you‘ re enjoying your youth–it fades so quickly.”
The tension was palpable, a storm brewing
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Chapter 7-8
between them. But Cassandra didn’t care. She had already decided. Soon, neither Julia nor Matthew would have any power over her.
As she watched Julia prance about with her usual arrogance, Cassandra thought of Mavel Street and the explosion waiting to erase her from this nightmare. A bitter smile tugged at her lips.
Just a little longer.
Perhaps Matthew had been bound to Julia long before Cassandra even stepped into his life. Time seemed to freeze as this realization hit her, a crushing weight settling over her heart. It wasn’t pain–no, it was something heavier, something suffocating. If Matthew and Julia had known each other for so long, then what were these seven years between her and
him?
A bitter laugh escaped her lips. Seven years… a cruel joke.
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Chapter 7-8
On the second–to–last day before the engagement, Matthew took Cassandra to The Lawrence Family residence for an evening of opera with his parents. The melodious singing filled the room, but Cassandra struggled to stay awake. The heavy atmosphere only amplified her restlessness, so she stepped outside to clear her head.
As she checked her phone, her eyes froze on a post from Julia, uploaded just a minute ago: “Boyfriend is so annoying today, insisting on taking me to meet his parents.”
The location? Near The Lawrence Family
mansion.
Her fingers went numb as her mind spun. Her breathing quickened as her phone buzzed again. Another notification–this time, a private message from Julia.
“Guess where I am.”
Attached was a photo. The angle was