Chapter 177 We Never Suspected

Chapter 177 We Never Suspected
Cassian's POV

“Daphne, wait.”

She stopped near the door of the rink and turned around. “What do you want, Cassian?”

I walked toward her, already regretting the conversation I knew I needed to have, because hiding from it wasn't going to fix anything. I pointed towards the rink for us to sit down.

“Can we sit for a second?” I asked. “I need to talk to you about Oliver.”Her expression changed immediately as she looked at me. “Cassian, if this is about what happened between us...”

“It isn't,” I said, cutting her off before she could walk out. “Can't we talk at least? Breaking up doesn't mean we aren't friends.”

Daphne looked at me, her fingers tightening; she stood there for a long moment. Finally, she let out a slow breath and walked over to the bench. We sat down together, our knees almost touching in the narrow space.

“I'm listening,” she said, crossing her arms tightly.
I stared out at the surface of the ice. The rink was quiet.
“I've been thinking about the night of the accident,” I said, keeping my voice direct. “When Oliver went into the hospital, I let the anger consume everything. I blamed Asher for everything that happened on the ice.
It was easy to point a finger at the vulnerable kid because I didn't want to accept that my brother was stuck in a hospital bed and there was nothing I could do to fix it. I needed a target, and he was right there.”

Daphne's posture softened slightly, her shoulders lowering as she sat back against the slats. She didn't look at me.

“You let the anger consume you, Cassian,” she said quietly. “I tried to stand by you. I tried to talk to you every time, but whenever I reached out, you were just looking for someone to break.
You were so quick to blame Asher. And now he’s gone. You can't carry a grudge forever, Cassian. At some point, you have to let it go, or it just destroys everything else around you.”

“I know,” I said, my voice dropping. “I see that now.”

“I still believe the detective will find out who tried to harm him and why,” she added, her voice dropping into a low murmur. “The truth is going to come out, Cassian. We don't have to keep fighting everyone to get it.”

I took a slow breath. “You deserved better than the version of me you’ve been dealing with since the summer, Daphne. I was a terrible boyfriend, and I was even worse after finding the truth. I was so focused on Oliver that I didn't care who I hurt.” I paused, forcing myself to look straight at her face. “Reed is cool. He treats you right, and I'm not going to stand between that.”

A small, surprised smile touched her mouth, her eyes widening slightly as she looked at me. “Thank you, Cassian. That means a lot.”

“I mean it,” I said, trying to lighten the mood before my voice cracked. “Though, if Kieran and Aveline actually end up getting married after all this insanity, you have to promise to save me a seat at the table.

I want to see Hampton try to wear a tuxedo without ripping the sleeves during the reception. He'll probably check the waiter before the salads arrive.”

Daphne let out a genuine laugh. She shook her head, leaning her back against the plexiglass railing. “You're an idiot, Cassian.”

“Probably,” I said, a faint smile finally touching my own face. “But at least I'm consistent.”

She stood up from the bench, dropping her notebook and stepped toward me. She didn't hesitate before pulling me into a tight hug. I locked my arms around her waist, holding her for a brief moment where we both just acknowledged what we used to have before everything tore us apart.

We didn't say anything else, but the constant tension between us over the last few weeks finally stopped.
But the moment didn't last.

A sudden, loud wave of shouting and running footsteps echoed right outside the rink's side exit doors. We separated instantly, both of our heads turning toward the windows at the end of the corridor.

"What is that?" Daphne asked, grabbing her books from the bench. "It sounds like the whole school is running toward the gates."

"Sounds like the main courtyard," I said, already standing up and moving quickly toward the
doors.
We pushed through the exit, stepping out into the campus grounds. The courtyard was completely swamped. A massive crowd of students had formed a circle blocking the entrance. Dozens of kids had their phones held high in the air, as they filmed over each other's shoulders.

The usual noise of people leaving after their exam had completely vanished, replaced by a low, terrified whisper that moved through the crowd.

"Get back! Move behind the line!" a senior hall monitor yelled, trying to push students away from the path. Nobody was listening to him.

I shoved my way through the front row of the crowd, using my shoulders to clear a path while pulling Daphne right behind me.
Right in the center of the walkway, the Detective was walking down the steps. Behind him, two state troopers were guiding a student down the stairs toward the back of the police sedan. The kid's arms were pulled tightly behind his back, handcuffs locked around his wrists.

It was Theo Mercer.

Theo wasn't fighting the officers. He didn't shout, and He just kept his head down as they pushed him into the back seat of the cruiser.

I couldn't move.

Daphne's hand found my arm. "Cassian,” she whispered, her voice shaking.

I watched Theo through the glass as the trooper forcefully closed the car door.

For months, we had been looking for the person who hurt Oliver. We had followed every lead, questioned people, and searched for anything that could tell us what really happened. I never thought it would be him.