The Stranger

Chapter - 37

Cassandra

The weeks drifted by, and Alex was still a constant ghost in my mind. I couldn't shake the thought of him. His face haunted me when I closed my eyes, his scent lingered as if it were woven into my skin, and memories of his touch, the way he could make me crave things I never knew I wanted, stayed with me. Lisa's half-joking, half-serious suggestion had planted a seed: maybe it was time to date again, to see if I could replace him, or at least distract myself.

So, when I ran into Rob—a muscled bloke I'd met just before Alex came into my life—I went against my better judgement and agreed to a date. He'd invited me to an awards ceremony for his company, which morphed into a post-ceremony bash at the bar near the office where we first met. The event was everything I expected: tedious speeches, forced laughs, and loud bravado. While Rob and his colleagues got lost in their own festivities, I felt myself sinking into boredom. I slipped away to the bar, hoping an espresso martini would carry me through the night.

As I waited for my drink, a familiar voice, soft yet confident, pierced through the crowd.

"Cassandra."

I turned and found myself face to face with Valeria.

"Oh... hi, Valeria," I said, feeling a flicker of irritation. She was probably the last person I wanted to see, and I had no doubt she knew it. "What a coincidence."

"Isn't it?" she said, with a smile that was equal parts charm and bite. She leaned in, kissing my both cheeks like they do in Spain, her gaze drifting over the crowd behind me.

"I didn't think someone as famous as you would be caught dead in a London bar," I said, my tone dry as I willed the bartender to hurry with my drink.

She chuckled, her voice laced with a smooth, self-satisfied tone. "Oh, Cassandra, you're adorable. I'm hardly a celebrity, not in London at least. I can go out, enjoy myself... not like Madrid."

"Hmmm..." I forced a smile, unimpressed, just as my drink finally arrived. I raised it, a silent toast to escaping her. "Well, it was nice seeing you..."

But as I turned to leave, she reached out, catching my arm. "So... Alex."

I felt my muscles tense, sending every nerve on high alert. "I haven't seen Alex in months. We're not together anymore."

"I know," she said, her voice lowering. "He told me."

Of course he had. She saw me and used this opportunity to flaunt her victory, to remind me she'd won. He was probably hers again. I wanted to walk away, to escape her smugness, but she held me there with a quiet intensity.

"He really cares about you, you know?" she said, her eyes softening unexpectedly. "And I know you care about him too."

"Valeria, that's really none of your business," I snapped, heat rising in my chest. Who was she to pry into my life, to dig up feelings I was trying to bury?

"You're right. But there's something you should hear." She took a deep breath, a flicker of sadness crossing her face. "I went to him, offered myself to him. I thought I could keep him with me, rekindle what we had, out of pride if nothing else."

I tried to pull my arm free, unwilling to listen. "Valeria, I don't—"

"But he didn't take me back. Not even for a night," she said, her voice barely a whisper now. "He was sweet and caring and he made it clear that we were never meant to be together. I'd spent so long thinking I could keep him close, that I could somehow undo our ending, just to save face. I should have left him, but I couldn't bear the idea of him leaving me."

Her words stopped me cold. I didn't know what to say, and a part of me didn't want to believe her.

"Look, Valeria, I don't know why you're telling me this," I said, glancing towards the boisterous group behind me, hoping for an excuse to leave. "I should get back to my friends."