Chapter 148: Broken Ranks

Daphne’s POV

I have spent my whole life loving Asher, thinking dating him and being beside him was the ultimate goal, until my belief changed: not all love can lead to a relationship; some are just platonic.

Meanwhile, Cassian, the awkward guy who says he has always crushed on me. I believed him, giving love a chance again, hoping to experience the kind of love my parents had with him, but he chose what really mattered to him.

I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, watching the cold tap water run over the orange juice stain on my cardigan. I didn't care about the fabric anymore. I was just staring at my own eyes, thinking about how much everything had completely changed. For as long as I could remember, loving Asher was my only plan. But over the last few months, that belief had cracked right down the middle. I finally understood a hard truth. Sometimes, love is just a deep, silent friendship that you carry in your chest without needing anything back.

Cassian didn't choose me. He chose his own anger. He chose the past, and he left me behind because he cared more about himself.

I rubbed a paper towel against my sleeve, trying to calm my racing mind. While I was sitting at the front booth with Reed, I could feel Cassian’s eyes boring into my back from across the diner.

Every time Reed made me laugh, I knew Cassian was watching from his booth, probably expecting me to glance over. He probably expected me to try to catch his eye. He was so used to me being the one to talk things out. I threw the paper towel into the bin, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open to head back to the table.

I was coming out of the bathroom when I saw Cassian standing by the door. I went completely tense and emotionally exhausted. I just wanted to walk straight past him. I did not want to talk at all. But his words made me stop in my tracks.

"Why didn't you reply to my calls?" Cassian asked, looking at me. "Why didn't you answer my messages?"

I stood there, but I didn't speak. I was just so frustrated by his ego.

"You knew how angry I was that night," Cassian kept going, stepping closer to me. "When I found out the truth about Asher's lies, I needed you. I expected you to support me."

"What do you want from me, Thorne?" I finally snapped at him. "I'm not your backup, nor do I look like a pillow puncher. You can't just say whatever you like and expect me to take it all in just because you are pissed."

"That's actually... that's not what I'm saying," Cassian said. His voice dropped, and he looked down at my hands. "Daphne, look at me."

He reached out and held my hands.

"I need you, Daphne," he said quietly. "I really do. You bring out the best in me. You see the things that other people don't see in me."

He tried to smooth-talk me to get my attention. He noticed I looked really sad, so he stopped talking about himself. He just looked into my eyes and asked, "Are you okay?"

Hearing that made something break inside me. I started venting to him about everything. I told him how much I hated myself for trusting people so easily. I told him I hated being so vulnerable and always getting hurt.

Cassian just listened to me quietly. He kept nodding his head. He didn't say anything to defend himself, and he didn't try to use my vulnerability to make a cheap move on me. Instead, he just looked like he was judging himself for hurting me.

We hugged, and while he was holding me, he told a goofy joke to try and make me feel better.

"Hey," he whispered. "Why did the scarecrow win an award?"

I looked up from his chest. "Why?"

"Why?"

"Because he was outstanding in his field," he said.

It was a silly joke, but it actually made me genuinely laugh. It felt good to smile for a second.

But then Cassian slowly lifted his head, as if he saw someone down the hall. His face went completely hard. He excused himself and walked away fast. I did not go back to the diner table. I followed him down the corridor. I stood near the back door and listened secretly to their conversation.

Cassian met Silas right outside by the back door.

"Silas," Cassian barked, confronting him. "I need to ask you about Oliver's accident. What did you know about that night? What did you see?"

Silas shook his head and denied knowing anything. "I don't know what you're talking about, Thorne. Leave me alone."

But Cassian did not back down. He stepped right into his space and threatened him. "Tell me what you know right now, Silas. Tell me, or I am exposing you to the school for brutally assaulting Asher that same night. I know you hit him."

I held my breath, listening through the door.

"Why did you hit him that night?" Cassian demanded.

Silas let out a mean laugh. He didn't look scared at all. He just went on talking shit about Asher.

"Deep inside, you actually don't want it to be Asher that hurt your brother," Silas sneered at him. "You are looking for anyone else to blame. But you are also wrong here, Thorne. You saw me beating him that night, and you didn't call the cops either. You just walked away. So don't act innocent."

This left me in complete awe. My mind went totally blank. What kind of person was Cassian really? He saw Silas hurting Asher, and he did nothing?

Outside, Cassian went completely red with rage. An angry Cassian punched Silas right across the face. Silas hit him back, and a huge fight broke out between them. The noise was so loud that the kitchen doors flew open, and the rest of the boys had to come in and separate them.

The boy I thought I knew... the boy I thought I loved... had stood there and watched Asher get beaten.

And suddenly, I didn't know who Cassian Thorne really was anymore.