Page 77 of A Sinful Gravity

Laila was close with Seb, too. When Seb held her, she laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. But it wasn't the same.

That difference—I could see it clearly now.

When Seb held her, she was a beloved child. When Cassian held her, she was coming home.

I turned away, taking a deep breath.

Time flew.That evening, Chloe came back. After dinner, she stayed with us.

I gave Laila a bath and read her a bedtime story. She lay in that princess bed, hugging her new toy, and soon fell asleep.

I closed the door gently and returned to my room.

Chloe had already showered and was lying on my bed scrolling through her phone. Seeing me enter, she scooted over and patted the space beside her.

"Come here."

I lay down next to her, staring at the ceiling.

Silence for a moment.

"Adjusting okay?" she asked.

"I guess." I sighed. "Honestly, Chloe. It's like he's suddenly a different person."

Chloe hummed. "I didn't expect it either. But him and Laila... maybe that's just how blood works."

I was silent.

Chloe reached over and squeezed my hand. "You don't need to feel pressured," she said. "Take your time."

I nodded.

Moonlight slipped through the curtain gap, drawing a silver line across the floor.

The thorn in my heart was still there. The scar was still there.

But something nearby was quietly loosening.

Chapter Seventeen

Cassian

The conference room AC was blasting, cold air pouring straight down from the vents overhead. I didn't feel a thing.

Berkley, our CFO, was running through last quarter's numbers. He'd been with the company for fifteen years, one of the few who'd tell me straight to my face when a plan sucked.

He stood in front of the projection screen, pointing at colorful charts, talking fast.

"So North American revenue growth hit eight-point-three percent, but costs climbed four points alongside. The main driver was..."

I nodded. "Mm-hmm."

He kept going. I stared at the projection, watched those numbers blur in front of me. Nothing stuck.

My head was somewhere else.

Luna came downstairs this morning in a light gray sweater, hair thrown up in a messy bun with a few strands falling loose around her face. She went to the kitchen for water. I'd just stepped out of the study. We met in the hallway.