Chapter 97 Chapter 97
Cass didn’t sleep.
She tried.
Closed her eyes. Turned off the lights. Pulled the blanket over her head like she could block everything out.
But every time she drifted close to rest, it came back.
The photos.
The document.
He wasn’t alone that night.
She sat up again, breath uneven.
There was no pushing this down.
Not anymore.
By morning, she looked fine.
Too fine.
Lena noticed immediately.
“You’ve got that scary calm thing going on again,” she said as they walked through the gates.
Cass didn’t respond.
“Okay, I’m serious now,” Lena added, slowing slightly. “What happened?”
Cass stopped walking.
Looked at her.
And for the first time—
She said it out loud.
“My dad wasn’t alone the night he died.”
Lena blinked.
“What?”
Cass swallowed.
“He met with Jace’s dad.”
The words felt heavier outside her head.
More real.
Lena’s expression shifted from confusion to something sharper.
“Cass… that’s not just a coincidence.”
“I know.”
Silence.
“What are you going to do?” Lena asked.
Cass looked ahead.
Students moving. Laughing. Living in a world that suddenly felt very far from hers.
“I’m going to ask him.”
“Jace?”
“Yes.”
Lena exhaled slowly.
“That’s not going to be a simple conversation.”
Cass’s voice was steady now.
“It’s not a simple truth.”
She didn’t have to look for him.
He found her.
Of course he did.
Jace was waiting by her locker like he always did.
Like nothing had changed.
Like the ground under everything wasn’t shifting.
“Hey,” he said softly.
Cass stared at him.
And for a second—
It hurt.
Because this version of him?
The quiet. The careful. The way his eyes softened when he looked at her?
That was real.
But so was everything else.
“Can we talk?” she asked.
Jace nodded immediately.
“Yeah. Of course.”
They ended up behind the gym.
Away from the noise.
Away from eyes.
The air was cold, sharp against her skin.
Jace leaned against the wall, watching her carefully.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
Cass didn’t ease into it.
Didn’t soften it.
She couldn’t.
“My dad met with your dad the night he died.”
The words dropped between them.
Jace went still.
Completely.
“What?”
Cass held his gaze.
“There was a meeting. At the house. About ownership. About whatever they built together.”
Jace’s expression shifted.
Confusion first.
Then something deeper.
“No,” he said slowly. “That doesn’t sound right.”
“It is,” Cass said.
“How do you know?”
“I found the documents,” she replied. “Photos. Agreements. Proof that they weren’t just business partners—they were connected.”
Jace ran a hand through his hair, trying to process.
“My dad never said anything about that.”
“Mine didn’t either,” Cass said.
Silence.
Heavy.
Jace looked at her again.
“Are you saying… my dad was there when it happened?”
Cass’s voice dropped.
“I’m saying he was the last person who saw him alive.”
The words hit.
Hard.
Jace pushed off the wall, pacing once.
“That doesn’t mean anything,” he said quickly. “It doesn’t mean—”
“It means everything,” Cass cut in.
He stopped.
Turned toward her.
“And what are you implying?” he asked, his voice tightening.
Cass’s chest rose and fell unevenly.
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “That’s the problem.”
“Cass—”
“I don’t know if it was an accident,” she said.
Silence.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
Jace stared at her.
Like he wasn’t sure he heard her right.
“Say that again.”
Cass hesitated.
Because once she said it again—
There was no going back.
But the truth was already there.
Sitting between them.
“I don’t know if it was an accident.”
Jace’s jaw tightened.
“You think my dad had something to do with your father’s death?”
“I think there’s something you don’t know,” she said.
“That’s not the same thing.”
“It’s not different either.”
Jace stepped closer.
His voice lower now.
Controlled.
“You’re crossing a line.”
Cass let out a breath that trembled slightly.
“I didn’t draw the line, Jace. It was already there.”
Another silence.
This one worse.
Because now—
It wasn’t just tension.
It was fracture.
“You should’ve told me,” she added quietly.
“Told you what?” he asked. “Something I didn’t even know?”
“Told me your family was part of mine before I walked into this.”
Jace shook his head.
“I didn’t know.”
Cass searched his face.
Trying to find something.
Anything.
A crack.
A lie.
But all she saw was confusion.
Real confusion.
And that made it worse.
Because if he didn’t know—
Then who did?
Jace stepped back slightly, running both hands through his hair.
“This doesn’t make sense,” he muttered.
“It does,” Cass said softly.
“It explains everything.”
“Like what?”
“Like why your dad looks at me like I don’t belong,” she said.
“Like why he’s trying to control everything.”
“Like why Zayelle keeps talking about ‘structure’ and ‘balance’ like this is bigger than us.”
Jace stilled.
That part—
That part hit.
Because he’d heard it too.
Felt it.
Ignored it.
“You think she knows?” he asked.
Cass met his eyes.
“I think she knows more than both of us.”
Silence.
Cold air between them.
Jace exhaled slowly.
“This is crazy.”
“It’s real.”
“And what do you want me to do with it?” he asked.
Cass didn’t answer right away.
Because the truth?
She didn’t know.
“I just… needed you to know,” she said finally.
Jace looked at her.
Long.
Hard.
“And now what?”
Cass swallowed.
“Now… I figure out what this means.”
“And us?” he asked quietly.
There it was.
The question they’d both been avoiding.
Cass felt her chest tighten.
Because for the first time—
It didn’t feel separate from everything else.
It felt tied to it.
Messy.
Complicated.
Dangerous.
“I don’t know,” she admitted.
Jace nodded once.
Slowly.
Like he expected that.
Like it still hurt anyway.
They stood there for a moment longer.
Neither moving.
Neither fixing it.
Because this?
This wasn’t something that could be fixed with words.
Not yet.
Finally, Cass stepped back.
“I need time.”
Jace didn’t stop her.
Didn’t argue.
Didn’t reach for her.
Because he knew—
If he did, it might break something for good.
“Yeah,” he said quietly.
“I figured.”
Cass turned.
Walked away.
And this time—
It didn’t feel like distance.
It felt like the beginning of something unraveling.