Chapter 35 Too Late
Finished
Cassius had been waiting for her all along.
When Azalea caught on, her brow tightened sharply. She swung her backpack tighter over her shoulder and picked up her pace toward the corner where Hex stood waiting.
“Azalea!” Cassius called out, confident but surprised when she saw him and immediately turned to run. He pushed through the crowd, chasing after her.
“Azalea, stop!”
She was nearly at Hex now, and if all went as expected, Hubert would be there too.
Azalea quickened her steps, shifting from a steady walk to a light jog.
Just as Cassius reached out to grab her, a hand shot out from the side and clamped firmly on his wrist. “Mr. Cassius, please show some respect.”
Hubert’s fingers locked around Cassius’s wrist like iron. If not for the chill in his eyes, the faint smile on his lips might’ve seemed warm.
Hex moved quickly to stand before Azalea, shielding her.
Hiding behind Hubert, Azalea finally faced Cassius, locking eyes with him. “Can you just leave me alone?”
Cassius barely had time to react to Hubert’s cold warning before Azalea’s words hit him like a punch. His mind swirled in confusion. This wasn’t how he pictured things at all.
Had Azalea not heard about William’s case? That had to be it.
Composing himself, Cassius shrugged off Hubert’s grip and stared at Azalea. “Azalea, William dropped out today. He lied about you and stirred that misunderstanding. I promise if you come back with us, no one will ever hurt or wrong you again.”
He spoke with a hint of pride. After all, Azalea went with Hubert because he could and would back her up. Talking tough was the easy part.
Hubert had been around less than half a month, but Cassius was her family.
Cassius could Azalea’s surprise and gratitude as she agreed to return to the family.
Azalea lowered her gaze slightly. So William’s downfall was his way of telling her to come home.
She smiled faintly, amused. While she had been doing all the hard work at the Larks, no one treated her like a person. No matter the problem or who was right, it was always her fault. Now that she was gone, Bastian and Cassius both wanted to win her favor?
The Larks were really something else.
Meeting Cassius’s hopeful stare, she offered a soft, cool “Oh. You mean if I agree to come back to your family, you’ll make sure anyone who hurts me pays?”
Her response took Cassius by surprise.
But he didn’t hesitate. All he focused on was her saying yes.
“Exactly! Just come back with me, and they will be punished.”
Cassius‘ eyes widened as Azalea lifted her shirt a little, revealing her side.
A jagged scar snaked across her pale skin like a fierce centipede, running diagonally from her lower left side up across half her abdomen.
The deep pink mark indicated it had been there for some time.
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Chapter 35 Too Late
“Cassius, you remember this scar?” she asked quietly.
Finished
Cassius stiffened, as if someone had grabbed his throat and squeezed tight. He let out a strangled moan while his mouth hung open, and he was stunned.
The memory felt distant, almost like a faded photograph from years ago.
He remembered that summer trip with the family–escaping the heat in the mountains. Azalea had been swimming in a creek when she slipped on a sharp rock and got hurt.
“That was last summer during our picnic,” she said softly. “Sydney dragged me into the water while you guys weren’t watching. I told her we should call someone along, but she insisted on swimming just the two of us–saying guys and girls
shouldn’t mix like that.
“She has heart problems, and I was scared you’d blame me for taking her to spots she shouldn’t be in. So I did my best to watch over her. When you showed up, Sydney had a sudden heart attack. I was holding her, trying to swim to shore, and you didn’t even take your clothes off–you just jumped in and shoved me aside. Sydney left with you, and I was left injured in the
water.
“No one cared about me. The whole family rushed to the hospital. By the time you thought about me, it was night. I lay on the shore, the wound infected, and I was burning with fever. If Lady Luck hadn’t looked out for me, I might’ve died right then.”
Her injury had been severe, bleeding profusely. The water was icy cold. She felt utterly hopeless.
Cassius’s lips twitched, about to say something like, “If you hadn’t lost track of Sydney, none of this would have happened.” But the words stuck in his throat–because that was exactly what they’d said to her back then. She was the one to blame for almost dying.
After living with this family in her past life, Azalea knew their true nature.
She sneered and continued with her speech.
“The doctor said Sydney’s condition was only due to anxiety, not a heart attack. She was fine.
“Mr. Cassius, you can play people so well in the business world. You don’t actually think Sydney’s heart attack was an accident, do you?”
Cassius looked at her, panic rising within him. She knew. She knew they’d planned the whole thing to torment her.
“No…” he tried to explain, but Azalea cut him off.
“Bastian must have gotten the hospital report. Do you know what’s written on it?”
Send Gifts
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