Chapter 15
Not today, not this soon, but deep down–I knew it would come. Our circle was small. People whispered too often and talked too loud. Johansen was bound to find out. Still, I didn’t expect him to show up like this. Not now. Not while I was moving on. Not when he was supposed to be busy with Maureen and their perfect little heir.
Yet here he was, standing in the middle of my celebration like a ghost from a past I had tried so hard to bury.
He looked like he hadn’t slept in days. His shirt was wrinkled, his hair a mess, and those familiar eyes–haunted and desperate–locked on mine as if I still belonged to him.
“Don’t say yes,” he said again, louder this time. “Please… talk to me first.”
Every head turned toward us. I could feel the eyes. The tension. The sharp sound of someone whispering, “Isn’t that Johansen? Her ex–husband?”
Of course they knew.
We used to be a power couple–Cassandra and Johansen–dripping in prestige, luxury, headlines. Now we are a scandal.
I took a deep breath, my fingers trembling slightly.
“I’m sorry,” I said coldly, “but I don’t want to see you. And for everyone, he is not my ex–husband. Never. It was a fake.”
Gasps followed. He flinched. I could see it–the way my words cracked something inside him. But I had to say it. I had to protect myself.
Still, I couldn’t stay there–not with all those stares, not with Scott still on one knee, frozen in that awkward, exposed position.
So I turned. I walked out of my own celebration.
The air outside was colder, calmer. I needed space. I needed-
“Cassandra!”
His voice followed me.
And then, so did he.
I stopped near the boutique garden, arms crossed tightly against my chest. “What the hell is wrong with you, Johansen? You just ruined everything.”
He stepped closer. “I couldn’t let you say yes to him. Not without talking to me.”
“You don’t get to talk to me now,” I snapped. “You chose her. You married her. You have a baby on the way. And now you want to what–crash my life again?”
“It’s not what you think,” he said, voice cracking. “I didn’t know how much I needed you until you were gone. Everything fell apart without you. I kept pretending Maureen could fill the void, but she couldn’t. No one could. You’re the one who kept me going, Cassandra.”
“Really?” I scoffed. “Because I remember begging you to love me back. I remember being invisible while you built an empire with someone else.”
Chapter 15
“We were broken,” he said. “But we can fix it. We can-”
I stepped back. “No. You don’t get to rewrite the story.”
He reached for me. I flinched.
“Don’t touch her.”
Scott’s voice was sharp, steady.
Johansen barely turned before Scott landed a punch straight to his jaw. He stumbled backward clutching his face.
“That’s for being an asshole,” Scott spat. “And for thinking she’s still yours.”
Johansen lunged back. The two of them started shoving, fists flying, until someone shouted anc a few people from the boutique ran to pull them apart.
I stood there, breathless. Numb.
And then I made my choice.
“Enough,” I said.
They both looked at me.
I turned to Johansen, my voice shaking. “I would never want to see you again. Go back to your perfect family. Be happy with Maureen. Just leave me alone.”
His eyes widened. That was the final blow.
I turned to Scott, straightening my spine. “Come on. Let’s go back inside.”
But it didn’t end there.
Of course it didn’t.
By the time we reached the boutique, the headlines had already hit.
“Johansen Crashes Ex–Wife’s Proposal–Public Fistfight with New Fiancé!”
The photos were everywhere–me frozen in the middle of two men, Scott mid–punch, Johansen’s ruined expression.
I was furious.
Pacing in my office later that night, I tossed my phone onto the couch. “This is a disaster.”
“It’ll pass,” Scott said from the door, calm as always. “They’ll move on to something else
tomorrow.”
I shook my head. “No. I hate this. I hate that he showed up and ruined everything.”
Scott walked over slowly, placing a hand on the back of the chair.
“We’re still together,” he said. “That’s what matters.”
I gave a bitter laugh. “Together?”
He frowned.
“It’s not real, Scott,” I said softly.
Silence.
He studied me for a long time. “Then let’s make it real.”
I blinked. “What?”
Chester 15
3:59 pm b
“Make it real. Let’s stop pretending.”
I looked away. “No, I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m scared.” My voice cracked, “I don’t trust anyone anymore. Not even myself.”
He stepped closer. “So what was the proposal for, Cassandra?”
“You didn’t need to do that,” I whispered. “You don’t have to save me. I’m fine being your busines partner.”
Scott exhaled. “I proposed because it was necessary–for the public, for stability, for us. But I meant it, too. You just… haven’t let yourself feel it yet.”
I nodded slowly. “Fine. Let’s plan the wedding. Let’s get it over with. It’s a win–win for our companies, right?”
He looked disappointed but didn’t argue.
That night, I couldn’t sleep.
I left without telling anyone and walked into a quiet bar near the hotel. I needed the noise, the alcohol, the blur of reality. I needed to forget.
One drink turned into two. Then four.
I laughed with strangers, danced under dim lights, and flirted like I was someone else entirely.
A man pulled me close, his breath warmed against my cheek.
Another hand grazed my thigh.
And just when I felt the world was starting to spin out of control-
Someone gripped my waist and pulled me back.
“Enough,” a familiar voice said. “Don’t do this.”
It was Scott.
I blinked, disoriented.
“I know what we have isn’t real,” he said softly. “But don’t make me jealous because I’m losing myself now.”
I stared at him through blurry eyes. He looked… concerned. Not angry. Just sad.
And before I could respond, before I could even argue-
He leaned forward and kissed me. Soft, confused, desperate.
And then… the world went black.
I fainted in his arms.
Chapter 15
