Neptune

Chapter 58 | The Broken Soul

C A S S I E

I wipe my tears, storming through the hallway, ignoring Jude, who keeps calling me to go back to him. My mind is still spinning.

A part of me doesn't want to believe Jude, while another part is extremely frightened from knowing that Jude might have spoken the truth.

Did Luke trap me? Did he purposely ruin my life, stomping it under his feet before playing the hero? Was all that I've believed in a lie?

When I turn around the corner, I see Luke leaning against the wall, waiting for me to come back from the restroom, and my heart breaks.

He greets me with a smile, which soon crumbles when he sees how devastated I am.

"Cassie," he calls, following me as I pass him, rushing to the lobby. "Cassie!"

I step outside the building, panting.

"What's the matter?" Luke's voice is filled with worry, but I don't even spare him a glance, my lips trembling.

When I still don't answer him, he gets the idea that I want to leave this place in an instant.

"Do you want to go home now? I'll call the driver." He takes out his phone, and silence creeps between us.

*

After we get into the car, the journey back home is only filled with my soft cries. Luke's worry turns into panic, while I keep looking away from him, staring out of the window.

"What is wrong?" His voice is loud and desperate. "Would you at least tell me what happened? How am I supposed to know what's going on if you don't even tell me?"

My sobs break; tears keep rolling down my face. I don't even know if I have enough strength to confront him.

"You're fucking killing me, Cassie," he hisses, the frustration in his voice telling me that seeing me crying makes him want to break something. "Did you encounter Jude? Did he hurt you again?"

And that makes my sobs even worse.

"Cassie—" He touches my arm, but I snap his hand off.

"Don't touch me," I bite out, and shock skates all over his face.

The car finally stops in the driveway of our house, and I storm inside, Luke following suit. With his long strides, he easily catches me again.

I haven't even gotten the chance to head to our room when he whirls me around in the living room. Hurt and confusion cross his eyes as he stares at the angry tears in my eyes.

"Let it out," he whispers, and I explode right away.

"Did you threaten Jude?" I ask defiantly. "Did you blackmail him and command him to stay away from me before I broke up with him?"

Luke looks like I just shot a bullet through his head, his eyes wide.

I repeat my question firmly, "Did you?"

The shock on Luke's expression is replaced with fury. "You two talked?"

"Just answer the damn question, Luke," I cry.

His lips form into a thin line, his jaw tight, his fist clenched at his side. My heart thumps wildly while I'm waiting for him to answer.

I feel like I'm waiting for a death sentence, the fear eating me.

After a while, Luke says, "I did."

And I let out a soft cry. The world around me feels like it's crumbling into pieces. Everything I believed about Luke and everything we've built is shattered.