The Stranger

Part 34 - Alex

Three weeks had passed since everything happened with Cassandra. I had received the translated document I requested from Mario a few days ago, but I hadn't shown it to her yet. She was back at work, and although we hadn't spoken, there were those awkward, unintentional moments when our eyes would meet. Work had returned to how it used to be before I gave her that Bluetooth-controlled toy. At least we didn't have any meetings together now; that helped ease the tension somewhat.

For the past couple of weeks, I kept telling myself there was no point in approaching her unless I had something concrete in hand-until I received the document. Now that I had it, I wasn't sure what to do. Was there any point in showing it to her, just to clear my name? Or should I let it go? After all, she was right about one thing: I had to return to Spain soon, and my time in the London office was coming to an end. What would be the point of reopening old wounds? Even if she wanted to be with me again, I couldn't ask her to give up her career. I knew how much it meant to her. Her happiness would always be more important to me than my own-maybe that was my weakness. It was how I ended up staying with Valeria for so long.

But one thing was clear to me. It was important that Cassandra knew the full truth, not just the version John had fed her.

I made up my mind-she needed to know.

After lunch, I decided to approach her, though I had no idea how to begin.

"Hi, Cassandra. Do you have a minute?" I stepped into her office, interrupting whatever she was doing on her computer. I placed the envelope with the translated documents on her desk.

"What's this?" she asked, not touching the envelope.

"It's the official translated copy of the court settlement between Valeria and me. I need you to know the whole truth."

"I'm pretty sure the news articles I saw already told me the truth," Cassandra said, her tone challenging.

"Not the *whole* truth. This is everything. You can either take it or leave it, but I can't let you walk away with only half-truths."

"Okay, Alex. I'll hear you out." She turned her chair to face me, her hands leaving the keyboard.

I took a deep breath. "Valeria was the star student at my mum's dance studio," I began. "She's the only daughter of a wealthy businessman from Italy. Her mum died when she was young, and my mum kind of became a mother figure to her. We grew up together; she was always at the studio, and we got close over the years. People used to joke that we'd end up together, and eventually, we did, as teenagers."

Cassandra listened, her expression cold and unimpressed.

"I know this might sound irrelevant right now, but I need to give you some context," I explained, sensing her impatience.

"You're right, it does sound irrelevant," she replied, her voice ice-cold.

"We dated on and off for a while, but then Valeria moved back to Italy to continue her dance training, and we broke up. When she returned, we reconnected-mostly through my mum. Mum loved Valeria, and it made her happy to see us together. I liked Valeria too, we had a lot in common, but I wasn't sure about marrying her. Then Mum got sick. Around that time, Valeria's career took off, and she became a big name in flamenco dancing. Mum was so proud of her and of me for graduating from university, but when it became clear that Mum didn't have much time left, Valeria and I got married to make her happy."

Cassandra's cold expression softened a little as I continued.

"For a while, it was fine. Valeria was in the spotlight, and I hated it. Then, I made the mistake of telling Valeria about my desires. About my need for something more than the 'vanilla' life we were living. I'd done my research, and I understood why strong, independent women sometimes choose submission-it made sense to me. But Valeria shut me down completely. That's when I realised we were too different. She craved fame and adoration, while I wanted privacy and a deeper connection. I wanted to take care of her in a way she didn't want or need."

I paused, the memories of those painful moments resurfacing.

"I tried to suppress that side of me, but I couldn't. It was who I was-a dominant, in the sense that I wanted to protect and guide someone who trusted me. Valeria wasn't interested. So I sought out emotional connections elsewhere-not physical, but I was wrong for doing it. When I asked for a divorce, Valeria was hurt-not because I broke her heart, but because I bruised her pride. She couldn't believe *I*, a 'nobody,' would leave *her*. To protect her image, she made up lies. She accused me of being violent, of wanting to hurt her for pleasure, and she twisted my interest in BDSM into something sinister. She even accused me of cheating multiple times, which wasn't true."

"Alex, I-" Cassandra began, but words seemed to fail her.

"I was charged pending a formal investigation," I continued. "Those news articles you saw were real, but the stories they told were fabrications. Fortunately, some of Valeria's staff came forward with recordings proving she was lying. The police got involved, and I had the option of pressing charges for defamation, which could've destroyed her career. But I couldn't do that to someone I had once loved. So, I negotiated a private settlement. She dropped the accusations, and I agreed not to go public with the truth. That's what these papers are-the terms of our settlement."

"So, these papers prove your story?" Cassandra asked. "Why go through all that trouble instead of just telling me?"

"I needed you to see the evidence, not just hear my version. After everything, my words alone wouldn't have been enough."

"I'm sorry, Alex."

"There's no need to apologise. It just shows the danger of only hearing one side of the story. I wish you'd come to me first, but I understand-you felt like you didn't really know me anymore, I had become a stranger to you again. And you were right in a way."

I cleared my throat, knowing this next part would be difficult. "But you and I were never going to work, Cassandra. I was always going to return to my life in Spain, and I would never ask you to give up your career. We were never meant to continue."

I stood up, ready to leave. Cassandra opened her mouth to say something, but I cut her off. "It was nice to have met you, Cassandra. See you around."

I turned and walked out of her office, my throat tight with emotion. My walls went up again, and I left without looking back.