CASSIE’S POV
I should have stepped back but the doorway gave me no real cover and there was nothing to hide behind. Even the lamps threw enough light that I was fully visible standing there with wet cheeks and bare feet on the cold hallway floor.
The only reasonable response was to leave and pretend this hadn't happened.
I didn’t leave.
Darren looked at me for a moment, not saying anything. My heart kept racing. For a moment, I thought he would kick me out or scream at me.
He didn’t. He just held the door open wider and stepped back to make room.
I went in.
Bastian and Castien looked up. Neither of them said anything either, which I was grateful for. Castien simply shifted on the couch, making space beside him.
I sat next to Castien. The guitar was still in his lap but he turned
