# Chapter 18 ## CASSANDRA & EMILIO **CASSANDRA** Cassandra wakes to sunlight streaming through the French doors. The events of last night flood back to her - Emilio's touch, his words, the way her body responded to him so completely. She touches her lips, still feeling the ghost of his kisses. *What have I done?* She knows she's walking a dangerous line. What happened between them was more than just physical attraction. There was something deeper, something that terrified her. The way he looked at her, the way he said she was different - it made her heart race in ways she couldn't control. A soft knock interrupts her thoughts. "Cassie? Are you awake?" Emilio's voice is gentle through the door. She wraps her robe tighter around herself. "Come in." Emilio enters carrying a breakfast tray, looking impossibly handsome in his crisp white shirt and dark slacks. His hair is still damp from his shower, and she can smell his cologne from across the room. "I thought you might be hungry," he says, setting the tray on the small table by the window. "Thank you." She doesn't meet his eyes, suddenly shy after their intimate night together. He sits across from her, watching as she picks at her food. "We need to talk about what happened." Her stomach drops. *Here it comes. The regret. The explanation of why it was a mistake.* "I don't want you to think that last night changes anything about our arrangement," he continues. "We're still getting married for Alex, for practical reasons." The words sting more than they should. "Of course. I understand." "But," he reaches across the table and takes her hand, "I also don't want you to think it was meaningless. What we have... this chemistry between us... it's real, Cassie." She finally looks up at him. His dark eyes are serious, searching her face. "I know this situation isn't ideal for either of us," he continues. "But maybe we can make it work. Maybe we can be good for each other." Before she can respond, there's a commotion downstairs. Raised voices, footsteps on marble floors. "Emilio! Where are you?" A woman's voice calls out, sharp with anger. Emilio's face darkens. "Shit. It's Victoria." "Who's Victoria?" "My ex-fiancée." He stands abruptly. "Stay here. I'll handle this." But it's too late. The bedroom door flies open, and a stunning blonde woman storms in, her blue eyes blazing with fury. **EMILIO** "Victoria, what the hell are you doing here?" Emilio steps in front of Cassandra protectively. Victoria's gaze sweeps over Cassandra in her bathrobe, then back to Emilio. "So it's true. You're really going through with this farce of a marriage." "How I live my life is no longer your concern." "Isn't it?" Victoria's laugh is bitter. "We were together for three years, Emilio. Three years of planning our future together. And you throw it all away for... this?" She gestures dismissively at Cassandra, who has stood up, her chin raised defiantly. "You need to leave, Victoria. Now." Emilio's voice is cold as steel. "I'm not going anywhere until you explain to me how you could do this. How you could humiliate me like this." "I never made you any promises about marriage," Emilio says. "We talked about it, but nothing was ever decided." "Nothing was decided?" Victoria's voice rises to a shriek. "I gave you the best years of my life! I turned down other proposals, other opportunities, because I thought we had a future together!" Cassandra watches the exchange, feeling like an intruder in this moment of raw emotion. She can see the history between them, the pain in Victoria's eyes, and despite everything, she feels a stab of sympathy for the other woman. "I'm sorry if you misunderstood our relationship," Emilio says, his tone softening slightly. "But this is my decision to make." Victoria's eyes fill with tears. "Is it because of the baby? Because I couldn't give you children?" The question hangs in the air like a knife. Cassandra sees Emilio's jaw tighten. "This conversation is over, Victoria. Security will escort you out." "Fine." Victoria wipes her eyes, her composure returning. "But don't think this is finished, Emilio. I know about your business dealings. I know about the merger with Patterson Industries that you're keeping secret. If you think you can just discard me like yesterday's newspaper, you're mistaken." She turns to leave, then pauses at the door. "And you," she says to Cassandra, "enjoy it while it lasts. Emilio gets bored easily. When he's done with you, he'll throw you away just like he did me." After she's gone, the room falls into heavy silence. **CASSANDRA** "I'm sorry you had to see that," Emilio says finally. Cassandra sits back down, her hands shaking slightly. "She loved you." "She loved the idea of being married to me. There's a difference." "Is there?" Cassandra looks at him. "Will you do the same thing to me when you get bored?" Emilio moves to the window, staring out at the gardens below. "Our situation is different, Cassie. We're not pretending to love each other. We're both going into this with realistic expectations." *But what if I'm not?* she thinks. *What if I'm already in deeper than I should be?* "She mentioned business dealings. What was she talking about?" Emilio's shoulders tense. "Nothing that concerns you." The dismissal hurts. After last night, after the intimacy they shared, he's still keeping parts of his life closed off to her. "If we're getting married, shouldn't I know about your business?" He turns back to her. "Some things are better kept separate, Cassie. Trust me on this." But as she looks at him, she realizes trust is exactly what she's struggling with. How can she trust a man who keeps secrets? How can she marry someone who might discard her the moment something more interesting comes along? "I need some air," she says, standing up. "Cassie, wait—" But she's already heading for the door. She needs space to think, to process everything that's happened. Victoria's words echo in her mind: *Enjoy it while it lasts.* As she walks through the hallways of the Rodriguez mansion, Cassandra wonders if she's making the biggest mistake of her life. She's already falling for Emilio, despite all her efforts to keep her heart protected. And now she's seen firsthand how he treats the women in his life when he's done with them. The wedding is in four days. Four days to decide if she can go through with marrying a man who might break her heart. Four days to figure out if what they have is real, or if she's just another woman who will be discarded when he grows tired of her. The weight of that decision feels overwhelming as she steps out into the morning sunlight, her future hanging in the balance. 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