Chapter 34 Where is Cassie?
The hotel lobby was nearly empty when Greyson arrived, just a few late-night travelers and the desk clerk who looked up briefly as he passed. His ribs ached with each step, and his bruised face drew curious glances from the few people he encountered. But the physical pain was nothing compared to the guilt eating at him from the inside.
He took the elevator instead of the stairs, his heart hammering against his ribs as he approached Cassie's room. The hallway was silent except for the hum of the air conditioning and the distant sound of a television from one of the other rooms. He stood outside her door for a full minute, his hand raised to knock, gathering the courage to face her again.
Finally, he knocked softly.
"Cassie? It's me. Please, can we talk?"
No answer.
He knocked again, a little louder this time, pressing his ear to the door.
"Cassie, I know you're angry, and you have every right to be. But please, just give me a chance to explain."
Still nothing. The silence from the other side of the door felt like a physical presence, heavy and accusatory. He imagined her on the other side, maybe sitting on the bed they should have shared, crying because of him. The image made his chest tighten with self-loathing.
His phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number: "This is Kevin. Cassie is with me and Brendan. She's safe, but she's pretty upset. Don't call her tonight. Give her some space."
Relief flooded through him. She was safe. But the relief was quickly followed by renewed guilt. She was upset because of him, because he'd been too proud and too scared to trust her.
He texted back: "Thank you for taking care of her. Can you tell her I'm sorry? And that I love her?"
The response came quickly: "Tell her yourself. When you're ready to be honest about what's really going on with you."
Back in his room, Greyson sat on the edge of the bed, staring at his wedding ring. It was a simple band, nothing fancy, but it represented everything he'd been too scared to believe in. Forever. Partnership. Love that didn't come with conditions or escape routes.
His phone rang, startling him out of his thoughts. It was a number he didn't recognize, but he answered anyway.
"Greyson? It's Brendan."
"Is she okay?" Greyson asked immediately.
"She's sleeping. Finally...we need to talk."
"Okay."
"I'm going to be straight with you, man. I've known Cassie for years, and I've never seen her as happy as she was this morning when she called to tell me she'd gotten married. She was glowing, talking about how amazing you were, how perfect everything felt."
Greyson's chest tightened. The image of Cassie's joy, now destroyed by his actions, was almost too much to bear.
"And now?"
"Now she's questioning everything. She's wondering if she made a mistake, if she rushed into something with someone she doesn't really know. And honestly, after what you did tonight, I'm wondering the same thing."
"Brendan, I... "
"Let me finish. I don't know what your deal is, but you need to figure it out fast. Cassie deserves better than what you gave her tonight. She deserves a partner who trusts her, who supports her, who doesn't scream at her when things get tough."
"I know. I messed up."
"Yeah, you did. But here's the thing—she's still fighting for you. Even after everything, she's still wearing your ring, still calling herself your wife. That should tell you something."
Greyson closed his eyes, overwhelmed by a mixture of gratitude and unworthiness. She was still fighting for them, even when he'd given her every reason to walk away.
"That she sees something in you worth fighting for. The question is, are you going to fight for her too? Or are you going to let your fear and insecurity destroy the best thing that's ever happened to you?"
"I want to fight for her. I just don't know how."
"Start by being honest. About your fears, your insecurities, your past. She can't help you work through your issues if she doesn't know what they are. And then prove to her that you're willing to do the work. Not just say you'll do it, but actually do it."
After the call ended, Greyson sat in the darkness of his hotel room, thinking about everything that had brought him to this point. He'd been so focused on protecting himself that he'd forgotten what it meant to truly love someone else. Love wasn't about possession or control. It was about trust and partnership and choosing each other every day, even when it was hard.
Especially when it was hard.
He pulled out his phone and began typing a text to Cassie, then deleted it. Then typed another one and deleted that too. Words felt inadequate for the magnitude of what he needed to say, what he needed to fix.
Instead, he sat with his mistakes, letting them settle into his bones. Tomorrow there would be a wedding, and probably a lot of uncomfortable conversations. But tonight, he would figure out how to be the man she deserved.
The man he wanted to be.
Because losing her wasn't an option. Not when she was the first person who'd made him believe in love again. Not when she was his second chance at forever.