Neptune

Chapter 68 | The Winter

C A S S I E

One month later
Hallstatt, Austria

Winter has come. Time flew after I regained my memory.

When the truth about our story made the headlines, the world was shocked. I got a lot of notifications on my phone from my friends, other celebrities and my fans who wished me nothing but happiness.

Some haters who used to made my life miserable on social media even apologized after learning about what the three of us had been going through.

My team was also bombarded with questions upon questions—Oscar had a hard time answering the reporters.

Josephine's reputation was tainted.

Jude was silent at first, but then he surprised me by texting me, wishing me happiness. After hearing about my past and how hard it had been for me, he genuinely wanted me to be happy.

He knew that he would never have a chance with me. Luke, on the other hand, kept his deal to not leak the fact that Jude had once been a drug addict.

I texted Jude back, sincerely hoping that he would fully overcome his addiction and become a better person.

Now, I'm in Hallstatt. With Luke and Aiden. I feel overwhelmed to be here again after seven years. This place holds a very special place in my heart.

The three of us stand in front of Victor's house, the very same house where Luke and I poured out our feelings all those years ago.

Now, it is occupied by Luke's parents, who have been staying here since Klein Enterprise returned to its glory.

This is the first time that I'm going to meet my parents-in-law.

The door opens, revealing Arthur Klein, Luke's father. He greets us with a warm smile, but he can't hide the worn look and tiredness on his face due to years of struggling with hardships—most of his hair has turned white too.

Before he can speak, Aiden beats him to it. "Grandpa!" Aiden jumps at Arthur, hugging him. Arthur laughs.

"My boy, Aiden." Arthur ruffles Aiden's hair and kisses it.

Aiden looks up and grins, but when he sees his grandma walking from the living room, he runs to her. "Grandma!"

Rebecca, Luke's mother, catches Aiden in her arms.

She cups his face and kisses both of his cheeks. "My baby, my angel. I missed you so much, Aiden."

I'm starstruck, not expecting that they would be that close with Aiden. They must have been shocked when Luke brought Aiden from the orphanage, but then, who could resist Aiden?

Arthur and Luke hug each other briefly before Arthur shifts his attention to me. Before I can say anything, he gives me a hug too.

"It's good to see you here, Cassie." When he pulls away, I can see the unshed tears in his eyes. "We're very grateful to have you here. Come inside. My wife can't wait to see you."

Luke and I step into the house, and my heart clenches. It has been such a long time since I was here, but everything still looks the same, as if nobody has wanted to change anything about the house since Victor left.

Arthur shows Aiden his latest collections of Lego, definitely his gift for Aiden, and Aiden's eyes sparkle with excitement.

While Aiden talks animatedly to him and Luke, Rebecca approaches me and embraces me in a warm hug.

Rebecca's shoulders are shaking—she's crying.

She pulls away and wipes her tears. "I'm so glad to see you, Cassie. You don't know how long we've been waiting for a moment like this."