CHAPTER 2: Regrets
1930 Words
Two years later
Cassian's POV
By 6 PM, I was the only sound left in the office.
Damn I was starting to hate this place.
Everyone had gone home hours ago.
How typical.
The city skyline glittered through the floor-to-ceiling windows, but I couldn’t bring myself to look at it. Not tonight.
Because every time I stared into the dark, I saw her..
Clutching divorce papers I never should’ve handed her.
Even as I walked off, I could feel her eyes burning on my back.
I was such a fool.
Even with Celeste, I couldn't forget Sera. Maybe I should push the wedding with Celeste sooner.
Why do I keep postponing it? Her nagging about it makes me wanna extend the wedding to next year or something.
Everything Celeste did at the mansion irritated me. She couldn't even ride my c**k the way Sera did.
Cassian you're so toast.
“Still here?” The door creaked open. Evan stepped in—my best friend, Director and the last person still bold enough to walk into the graveyard I called an office.
“You need to go home,” he muttered, tossing a folder onto my desk. “Or somewhere that doesn’t reek of guilt, obsession, and whatever coffee-scented misery you’re surviving on.”
I didn’t look up. “Can’t. That LeClair merger needs my attention.”
“LeClair can wait. You—” he dropped into the seat across from me with a groan, “you’ve been stuck in this loop for two damn years. She cheated. You filed for divorce. Case closed. Let it go.”
I shut the file I hadn’t been reading. Closed my eyes.
But her voice still came back, soft and echoing.
“I’m pregnant.”
“I love you.”
“I don’t think she cheated,” I said, quietly. Almost like confessing to a ghost.
Evan straightened. “What? Damn Cassian, maybe you need Celeste to bang you some or something. Forget Sera!”
I pulled out my phone and handed it to him. “Look at this photo. The one that ended it all. Besides, you know Celeste gets on my nerves all the damn time.”
He sighed but glanced down.
“Now, look again,” I continued. “The lighting’s wrong. The reflection in the mirror doesn’t show his hand on her shoulder. It should and since when did she have a birthmark on her cheek. That photo was edited..”
He stared for a moment longer. Then cursed softly under his breath.
“F…kYou’re seeing what you want to see.” He grabbed a piece of candy from my table.
“Or maybe I’m finally seeing what I refused to admit. That someone wanted to destroy us—and I let them.” I let out a deep sigh.
A knock interrupted us.
Jana, my assistant, stepped in holding a sealed white envelope stamped with wax. Always elegant and professional.
“This just arrived. Hand-delivered. It’s a personal invitation.”
I slit it open.
> You are cordially invited to the Masked Gala
Hosted by the International Business Alliance
Guest of Honor: Cassian Thorn
I tossed it aside. “Not interested.” I stood up and strolled to the window, glancing at the dreadful height.
Evan picked it up. “You’re going. No press. Masks. VIPs only. You’ll be in good company.”
“I said no.” I tossed a little candy piece into the air and into my mouth. Still skillful.
“Nope,” he said, already standing. “You’re going. You need to breathe. Maybe flirt. Even if it’s behind a damn mask.”
I sighed. “Fine. But only because you’re annoying when you’re right.”
****
8:00 PM– The Masked Gala
Cassian’s POV
The chandeliers glittered like fallen stars. Champagne flowed like liquid gold. Women twirled in gowns worth fortunes, none of which I can f**k. How boring, and men in tailored suits masked their greed behind silk. Nothing surprising.
I hated every second of it. If Sera was here, we would probably sneak into the bathroom for a quick one.
Damn Cassian, that woman must have bewitched you.
I sat at the head table, untouched drink in hand, watching the swarm of elegance blur past. A woman leaned close, her mask slipping just enough to reveal scarlet lips and hunger.
I didn’t even blink.
And then—
Gasps.
A hush rippled through the room.
Heads turned. How important is this person? I groaned.
And she walked in.
A woman in black. Smoking hot.
Her gown clung like sin and smoke, barely leaving anything for the imagination. Her hair the color of midnight spilled down her back in waves. I felt the urge to inhale its scent.
Around her neck shimmered a diamond necklace—familiar, intimately so.
My design.
The one I crafted for Seraphina on the day of our wedding. A gift I never gave.
My breath caught.
She didn’t look around. Didn’t pause. Didn’t falter.
But I knew her.
Even behind the delicate lace mask—
I knew the shape of her mouth.
The curve of her jaw.
The sweet strawberry sceny that brushed past me like memory dipped in fire.
Seraphina.
She passed me like I was invisible, and didn't even look at me.
But I whispered her name anyway. “Sera…”
Nothing. Great.
She glided to a distant table, laughing softly at something a stranger said. Her poise didn’t crack. Her smile never trembled.
She was no longer the woman I left shivering and pregnant on a rain-soaked curb.
She was reborn.
Untouchable.
Unapologetic.
*****
I watched her all evening.
Halfway through, she stood and slipped into the hallway.
I downed my drink and followed.
I caught up just as she turned down the corridor near the restrooms.
“Wait—” I said, breathless.
She turned sharply, an expression carved in glass. “May I help you?”
Her voice. Still sexy as ever.
My spine stiffened. “You just… you look exactly like my ex-wife.”
A pause. Then, coldly: “How tragic.”
I blinked. “ Are you Seraphina?”
She tilted her head, unbothered. “No, you must be mistaken.”
Her voice was steady. Low. Dangerous.
“I… I’m sorry,” I mumbled.
She gave a faint, unreadable smile. “Enjoy your evening, Mr. Thorn.”
Then she vanished into the corridor like a mirage.
But I knew.
It was her.
****
Back in the Ballroom – Cassian’s POV
A soft applause erupted.
I turned, confused.
The host stepped onto the stage, microphone in hand.
Celeste was busy flirting around as usual. I can't believe I even engaged her. What possessed me.
“Tonight, we honor a woman whose resilience redefined power. The Female Businessperson of the Year—Ms. Seraphina Vale!”
Thunderous applause.
My heart stopped.
She stepped onto the stage, not with shy grace—but with the poise of a queen.
Her voice, when she spoke, was calm. Commanding.
“Thank you for recognizing not just my success, but the strength it took to rise after being underestimated.”
Everyone applauded her
I turned to Evan. My voice was barely audible.
“Find out everything. Now.”
He nodded. “Already on it.”
****
Later That Night – Outside the Gala
Cassian’s POV
The crisp night air barely cooled the fire under my skin.
I leaned on the balcony, trying to make sense of everything.
Then I saw Sera. She exited the building like a goddess walking out of fire.
She looked sexier than ever. Her red lips were smoking hot, making me remember how they used to lick my shaft gently, gripped and hot.
She was pure wildfire.
A limo pulled up. Sleek. Black. Quiet.
The door opened.
And a small girl burst out. Was that her daughter?
Sera bent down, catching the child mid-run. The little girl had raven curls. Storm-grey eyes, just the colour of my eyes.
Sera kissed her cheek, laughing gently, holding her close.
A man appeared—tall, protective. His hand brushed Sera’s back as he held the door for her. I could barely see his face.
She stepped inside with the little girl. The man followed. He stepped into the light and my heart dropped.
My step brother, Nicho.
The door shut, slightly leaving a banging sound.
The limo slipped into the night.
I stood frozen, heart cracking. Did Sera have a new family now? Oh Cassian you're so f****d.
*****
CELESTE’S POV
Inside the Masked Gala Restroom Hallway
My champagne flute tilted dangerously in my hand as I watched her glide across the ballroom like she owned it.
I had convinced myself she was gone for good. That Cassian would never have to see her again. That I had won.
But there she was, wearing the famous diamond necklace with the confidence I spent two years pretending to possess.
My jaw locked as I followed her movements, rage boiling under my skin like acid.
She wasn’t supposed to look like that—
Not after what he did to her.
Not after I whispered poison into his ear and slipped that photo into his inbox.
Not after everything I sacrificed to have him.
The crowd parted for her like she was royalty. The same crowd that once whispered about her “cheating scandal” and her “sudden disappearance.” I made sure of it. I orchestrated it.
And now? They applauded her.
I couldn't breathe.
I downed the rest of my drink and followed her as she slipped down the hallway, heels clicking like war drums.
***
Outside the Restroom
She was just exiting when I caught up.
“Well, well,” I purred, voice like honey laced with cyanide. “Look who crawled back from the dead.”
She paused. Looked me up and down.
She didn't flinch or even blink.
“Celeste,” she said flatly.
That nonchalant tone, It made my spine itch.
“You clean up well,” I offered with a venomous smile. “Nice dress. Expensive, I’m sure. How many investors did you bleed dry for it?”
Her lips curved faintly. “Jealousy doesn’t suit you.”
I stepped closer, lowering my voice. “Does Cassian know you’re here? You should be careful. He doesn’t like ghosts crashing his events.”
She said nothing. Just stared at me like I was a fly buzzing near her wine glass.
I bared my teeth in a smirk. “He and I… we’re engaged now. Actually, we were married not long after he divorced you. It was quiet. Private. Didn’t want the tabloids sniffing around your wreckage.”
A pause.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, but her posture never shifted. Not even a single tremble.
“You lie well,” she said coolly.
I flinched.
“Almost as well as you forge evidence,” she added.
My breath caught.
She stepped past me, slow and deliberate. “You should enjoy what little time you have left in his shadow, Celeste. It’s almost over.”
I spun around. “You think you can just waltz back into his life and he’ll come crawling? You’re delusional. You destroyed him.”
That time, she smiled. But it wasn’t soft. It was a warning.
“I didn’t destroy him,” she said. “You did. All I did was walk away when he chose the wrong woman.”
And then she was gone, her heels echoing down the hall.
I stood frozen in place, fingers trembling around my empty glass.
- Writer
