Chapter 1
When Seraphina Vale handed over the divorce papers, Cassian Blake was still busy sweet–talking his 52nd side chick on the phone.]
“Cassian, let’s get divorced.”
“Just sign it. Once the waiting period’s up, we’re done. No more crossing paths.“]
“Mm–hmm,” he mumbled, grabbing the papers without even looking. He flipped straight to the last page and carelessly scrawled his signature.]]
As he stood up and grabbed his jacket, he was still whispering into his phone.
“Okay, babe, I’m coming over now. Don’t be mad, alright?“]
After hanging up, Cassian had already reached the door when something suddenly occurred to him. He turned back to look at Seraphina. “Oh hey, Sera, what was that thing I just signed?“]]
Seriously? He signs first and asks questions later?]
Seraphina’s lips twitched into a sardonic smile.[]
“Divor-”
Before she could finish, Cassian cut her off with a wave of his hand. “Next time you wanna buy some house or whatever, just do it. Don’t make me sign shit when I’m busy. I’ve been stuck at home for days and now my girl’s pissed at me.”
That’s when she realized.
He didn’t hear a single word she said. He thought she was making him sign off on another house. Just like always.[]
Makes sense, actually.
Back when they used to fight, her favorite revenge was to blow his money on entire neighborhoods just to spite him.[]
Even real estate was tanking anyway. She still threw billions at it, not because she needed to–but because it made her feel less like shit.[]
Back then, she still gave a shit about him.[]
The remnants of her love made it impossible to accept that his heart had already moved on. That’s drove her crazy to despair.]
God, so when did he stop loving her?]
She still remembered their first meeting at The Aviary.
She’d gone to pick up a friend and found Cassian completely wasted
about to face–plant. She helped steady him.
He looked up at her just once and fell head over heels.
{
Cassian Blake was a big deal in Chicago. Trust fund heir with that whole bad boy thing going on. Changed girlfriends like socks. Half the girls in the city had their hearts broken by him.]
Seraphina wanted nothing to do with that mess. She turned him down flat.[]
But the bastard wouldn’t quit. He was completely obsessed, following her around like a lovesick puppy. No other girl existed in his world anymore.
Bouquets that blanketed entire Millennium Park on Valentine’s Day. Fireworks on the Oak Street Beach all night just to make her smile. []
Every time she felt like shit, he was always right there.
Her heart had never once fluttered for anyone. But also slowly gave in to his crazy romantic pursuit.[]
Once they got together, he actually cleaned up his act. No more random hookups. He was glued to her side, texting her every detail of his schedule }]
Everyone said Chicago’s biggest fuckboy Cassian Blake had finally settled down for the right girl]
Seraphina believed it too.
So when he got down on one knee with tears in his eyes, and asked her to marry him–she said yes without hesitation []
But less than a year into the marriage, Cassiah was back to screwing around. Late nights and lipstick stats.[]
They fought constantly. She’d lose her shit, screaming in their trashed living room while he sat there looking exhausted.
Finally, he came up with his brilliant solution–open marriage]
Chapter 1
“Sera, I love you, I do. But this whole till death do us part thing? That shit gets boring.”
“Let’s just… do our own thing. Hook up with whoever, but don’t catch feelings. When we’re done playing around, we come home. Deal?”
She said hell no. But he didn’t care and kept doing whatever the fuck he wanted.[]
Eventually, she broke too, Got herself a boy toy–some college kid named Zayden Monroe, Handsome, bright–eyed and always sweet talking.
At first it was just to piss Cassian off]
But Zayden was different. He called her “babe” in this sweet way, always showed up when she needed him. Sat by her hospital bed with tears in his eyes after a near–fatal crash. Held her hand through every re check and every scan.[]
Zayden was young and pure. Slowly, he started putting her broken pieces back together.[]
She once tried to give him a condo or fat check. But he refused.[]
“Babe, divorce him. Give me a real shot.“[]
His eyes were so full of love. His eyes were so clear and bright. In them, she saw herself whole again–unbroken and glowing.]
The her that had been crushed by this marriage.]
But in his eyes she still sparkled.]
And right then, something in her shifted. Life’s too short for this bullshit. Even kids know when a toy’s broken, you get a new one. What the hell had she been doing all these years, tearing herself apart over Cassian?]
So she said yes
Yes to Zayden
And yes to ending this disaster of a marriage that Cassian called love.[]
