Chapter 112 Unknown number
JASMINE
He studied my face for a moment before smiling.
“Dance with me?” As if the universe itself had planned it, the music shifted.
A slow, romantic melody filled the hall.
My heart skipped.
He guided me toward the center of the room.
Suddenly I became very aware that everyone was watching. Heat rushed into my cheeks as I stared down at my shoes.
Damien lifted a finger under my chin, tilting my head upward. “Look at me,” he said softly.
His eyes were warm and steady. “Just focus on me. You’ll be fine.”
I nodded slowly.
My arms slipped around his neck as his wrapped around my waist, pulling me flush against his chest. No space between us, we began to move.
Slowly.
Gracefully.
Like we had done this a thousand times before.
His gaze never left mine. And in those eyes I saw something that made my heart ache.
Love. So much love it felt overwhelming. The cheering around us faded into background noise.
It was just us.
Just the two of us moving together in that moment. When the song neared its end, Damien dipped me backward. Gasps echoed around the hall. Then he pulled me back upright and kissed me.
Cheers erupted. Richelle’s loud whistle cut through the crowd. I bit his lower lip playfully before pulling away.
His eyes widened in surprise. I giggled and darted away, leaving him standing there stunned.
Later, I sat at a table with Richelle and Darcy.
“The Bahamas are beautiful this time of year,” Richelle was saying.
I groaned and buried my face in my hands.
“No, that’s nonsense,” Darcy dismissed. “Hawaii is far more romantic.”
They started debating.
I sighed loudly.
“You two are planning a honeymoon for something that doesn’t even have a date yet.”
“That can come later,” Darcy said calmly.
“But the location is the important part,” Richelle added with a wink.
Before I could argue further, my phone rang.
I glanced at the screen.
Unknown number.
Strange. “You two keep arguing,” I said, standing. “I’ll be back.”
The music inside the hall was still playing when I stepped outside, the muffled melody of laughter and clinking glasses trailing behind me as the doors closed.
The night air felt cooler than I expected.
For a moment I simply stood there beneath the soft glow of the exterior lights, trying to steady my breathing. My heart was still racing from the dance with Damien, from the warmth of his hands on my waist, from the way his eyes had looked at me like I was the only person in the room.
The thought made a small smile tug at my lips.
Then my phone rang again. The sharp vibration inside my purse broke the quiet like a crack of thunder. Richelle and Darcy’s conversation faded from my mind as I looked over my screen.
Unknown number.
My brows furrowed.
That was strange.
Most people who had my number were already inside the party. For a moment I considered letting it ring out. But something nudged me to answer.
“Hello?” I said, bringing the phone to my ear.
There was silence. Not the normal pause of a bad connection.
A heavy silence.
The kind that made the hair on the back of my neck slowly rise.
Then, a voice- low, smooth, dangerously familiar
“It’s been so long, Cass. How are you?”
My breath stopped, not slowed.
Stopped.
Every muscle in my body locked. My fingers went numb around the phone. For a moment I couldn’t even process what I had heard.
That voice.
It couldn’t be.
Slowly—very slowly—I lowered the phone from my ear and stared at the screen as if the number itself might explain what was happening.
My hands began to tremble.
“Don’t tell me you don’t recognize me, love.”
The voice slid through the speaker again, darker this time.
My chest tightened violently. I raised the phone back to my ear. “I—” My voice cracked before the words could even form. “I-it can’t b-be…”
A quiet chuckle echoed through the line, cold, cruel. “A little too late for a family reunion, isn’t it?”
My knees weakened. The world tilted slightly around me. “No,” I whispered, shaking my head even though he couldn’t see me. “No, you’re— you’re dead.”
“Am I?” he mused lightly. The sound of his voice was like ice water running down my spine.
The memories came rushing back before I could stop them.
Dark rooms.
Locked doors.
Screaming.
Training.
Control.
Fear. I staggered backward until I found one of the chairs placed outside the venue and collapsed into it.
My chest was tightening more with every breath.
“Your foolish uncle thought he could hunt me down,” the voice continued calmly. “Spent years trying to find me.”
A pause. “What a waste of time.”
My fingers dug into my knees. “It’s not possible,” I whispered hoarsely. “You’re not alive.”
“You look beautiful tonight.” The words froze the air in my lungs. “Just like… Rose.”
The name shattered something inside me, my mother. Tears instantly flooded my eyes. I squeezed them shut, but it only made the memories stronger. Her long hair brushing my face when she hugged me.
The smell of lavender in her clothes.
The softness of her voice when she called me Cassandra. A broken sound escaped my throat.
“How are you seeing me?” I demanded suddenly, my voice shaking violently. “How do you know where I am?”
A soft hum came through the line.
“That’s the thing, Cass,” he said slowly. “You don’t need to know that.”
A chill spread through my chest. “I’ve always had eyes on you,” he continued. “You just never noticed.”
My stomach dropped. “No…”
“You forgot what you are,” he said calmly.
His tone hardened slightly. “You forgot what I made you into.” I felt like the air had been punched out of my lungs. My hands began shaking so badly the phone nearly slipped from my grip.
“Come back now, Cass,” he continued, voice turning almost gentle. “And I’ll leave everyone else alone.”