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ASA'S POV

The moment Cassandra says that she needs to tell me something, I know that it can't be something I want to hear. That added with her tight grip on my arm tells me that it's something that will either hurt or piss me off, and I'm going with the latter and not the former.

"What?" I ask, rolling my shoulders back without moving away from her. My jaw flexes as I look over the anxious expression on Cassandra's face, feeling extremely at ease.

Cassandra winces slightly, and I have the urge to comfort her because I immediately think that she's in physical pain. My eyes flicker over her body quickly before they come to meet hers, and when I make that eye contact, she shakes her head and squeezes my forearm.

"Not like that..I just...Ethan came to the office today," she whispers softly, and although I feel like I should be relaxed that Cassandra is talking about something I already know about, I can't.

"Yeah, Zac told me everything. About what Ethan said, and how you reacted. It's okay, baby," I try to give her a small smile, although it's more of a flat look on my face as I kiss the top of her head. "Really. I know he showed up out of the blue."

As soon as I speak up, tears well up in her eyes and she shakes her head repeatedly. My face falls and I raise my eyebrows slightly while bringing them together in confusion all at once. Did Ethan say something that I don't know about? I might not know all the details, but Zac felt confident in what he was telling me, and I oddly believed everything he said.

"He might have said some things that I didn't tell Zac about..." Cassandra trails off, looking down and using her fingers to fumble with my hand that's now resting against her belly again. "About us. About the baby."

My eyes lock on her face, trying to read the expression that she's holding, but Cassandra doesn't look up at me. I can feel the rage building in my chest. It was already there, but my issues with Ethan and what he did to Cassandra were pushed on the back burner because I wanted to be there for my wife completely. Those exact feelings that I was holding back are building up as she speaks, not at all helping me remain calm.

"What did he say, Cassandra?" my voice is stern as hell, and I know that I shouldn't be coming off as mad to her, because I'm not at all upset with her. I'm upset with myself for not being there today, and sure as hell angry (and likely going to be even more pissed off) with Ethan.

Cassandra peers up at me through her lashes, and she's on the brink of letting the tears escape. My heart pounds in my chest, and I'm terribly afraid that he's said something about me that she's unhappy about. But what could he possibly say that's true? Cassandra knows everything about me. We agreed to having no more secrets and lies, and I've kept my promise on that.

"Cassandra," I repeat her name, urging her to continue. I know I should be more cautious and gentle, and I'm trying to be, but my patience is wearing thin and it's not helping that she's keeping me on edge when I know something is wrong. "What? Did he say something about me or did—"

"No, not like that. Nothing like that," Cassandra shakes her head, her hair flowing down her shoulders even more with the added movement. "He just...he told me to leave you, and that I shouldn't be having this baby..."

I narrow my eyes at her, feeling my increasing anger by the second. I'm beyond pissed that her ex-boyfriend not only had the nerve to show up like that, but the fact that he had the audacity to tell her something about me and our baby? There's not a fucking chance in hell that he gets to get away with that.

"Did he threaten you?" I find myself asking, receiving comprehending her body language and lack of wanting to communicate what happened in that room as something out of the blue.

The second that her eyes lock with mine, I know that I'm right for having to even suggest such a thing. Her big brown eyes are full of fear, and she grabs my hand again, squeezing it so hard that if I wasn't angry, I might think that it will actually hurt.

"Please don't go and do something stupid. He only said things that he shouldn't have because he knew how I would react, and it doesn't mean that you should go after him. He doesn't deserve a reaction from you. It's not worth it, Asa. I only told you because I feel like you should know, and we agreed to be honest with each other, and it just wouldn't feel right if I wasn't open about this too," Cassandra blurts out all of the words so quickly, and although I'm fuming, I'm trying to keep my cool for her sake.

"It didn't even hurt that bad. I promise. I don't want you to go and do something stupid because of him. I know you're mad about it, but I want you to stay here with us," Cassandra's hand covers my own, pressing both of our hands against her bump.

I want to kiss her, and tell her that of course this is where I'll be. With them. Both of them. But something that she says catches my attention.

"What didn't even hurt that bad?" I find myself asking, the crease on my forehead deepening as I try to decipher the meaning on my own. Is she talking about his choice of words? Because that sure as hell is an odd way of explaining, but I sure as hell hope that is what she meant, because if not, I know for a fact that he might as well have dug up his own grave.

Tears finally escape, and as I swipe them with my free hand, brushing my thumb across her cheek. As I lightly press down, Cassandra flinches, and I immediately know what the hell happened in that room.

"He touched you?" I ask, narrowing my eyes at her. "No. Fuck that."

I'm so angry that I don't even bother to listen to what she has to say. She can make up whatever excuses she wants, but nothing will excuse the fact that he touched what's mine.

"He hurt you. Physically. You better not try to defend him right now," I grit out through my clenched teeth. Before I can even stop myself, I'm standing up out of my seat, ready to storm out of here and beat his sorry little ass.

"Don't go. I'm not defending him. Just please don't leave me," Cassandra chokes out, tightening her grip on my arm. "Please, Asa. It's not worth it."

I close my eyes, letting out a shaky breath, trying to keep my cool for her sake. She's right, but she's also so wrong. Ethan doesn't get to walk all over her and get away with it, but that doesn't mean that I should deal with him right in this moment.

It takes me a few moments to finally calm down, just barely there, and sink back into my seat.

"I'll stay, but I'm fucking furious, Cassandra. I don't think I've ever been this mad in my entire life," I mutter, still feeling hot and angry. I have many things to be angry at him about, but he sure as hell fucked up the second he laid finger on her. "I need to know what happened in that room, exactly. Don't bullshit with me."

Cassandra hesitates before nodding, agreeing to tell me only if I agree to not storm out of here and beat Ethan to a pulp. As she does, I'm growing angrier and angrier by the second. But she tells me everything, and she's right, I have more important things to deal with than Ethan right now. I can beat him to a pulp tomorrow, when Cassandra is home and back in our bed.

We sit for a while, and once she's calmed down and feeling a bit more comfortable, I finally suggest what I think is the right thing to say in the situation. Of course, I can't force anything on her, but perhaps she will be okay with my suggestion. I can only try.

"Baby, your brother is here. I know he's probably the last person you want to talk to right now, but he's also the only person who can answer a lot of questions that you might have, and before you say anything to stop me, I'm not trying to pressure you into talking to him. And he hasn't asked me to tell you to talk to him either. I just...you told me to give my mom a chance, and we fixed things that I thought were irreparable because I allowed her the chance to explain," I clear my throat, brushing my fingers through Cassandra's hair to remove some knots that have formed.

She pears up at me with a dazed expression, and I can't really tell if I've offended her by the mere suggestion or if she's even considering what I am saying.

"I think the worst thing that can happen is that you stay mad and upset at him, but perhaps you can get some closure," i mutter as I press a soft kiss to her forehead.

Silence takes over the room, and I immediately regret even suggesting it. Cassandra needs time, and she deserves time, but after my own conversation with Zac outside, I realize that it's not just black and white. He was trying to protect his little sister, and even if he went about it in the wrong way, he's here.

And I don't tell her about how Zac didn't bother to call me here. That doesn't truly matter. I'm here, and he's still waiting outside that room to see her, and that's all that should matter in this moment.

"Okay," Cassandra finally says, pulling me from my thoughts and internal back and forth. I smile down at her, with a soft nod. "But you'll be here?"

"The nurse said only one visitor at a time. How about I wait outside the door, and if you need me, you just have to call for me?" I suggest. I want to give them privacy, and being in the room or just outside the door won't make enough of a difference. If Zac is trustworthy when it comes to one thing, it might just be his sister's health and well-being. It was the only reason he ever threatened or disliked me in the first place, because he was genuinely worried about her.

Cassandra gives me a small pout, but slowly nods. "But only because I have questions, and because I made you do the same thing."