Vincent's POV
I got up with an angel in my arms, she was snuggling close to me, I didn't want to wake her up but it was 9 am and her parents would be waiting for breakfast so I slowly called her out "Cassandra, baby wake up, it's 12 in the noon."
She jolts awake and struggles to sit up straight "Why didn't you wake me up early?"
"Why would I?" I raise my eyebrows and she says "You know, my friends will come over at 10, so we can catch up, but look what you did, Because of you I can't even meet them."
"I was joking Cass, It's still 9 so get up and get ready." She comes over and hugs me saying "You're the best husband, now let me go take a shower."
"Baby, shall I also join you? I ask and she shouts "NO, you are punished, for yesterday." I laugh it off but something crosses my mind as to why she left for the UK and how Aiden agreed to that. Maybe I have to find out that from Aiden himself but the problem is if I ask him, he will break my jaw now, so I have to come up with something good to convince him to forgive me.
As I was thinking my vixen came out in a bikini to go to the beach. "You are not having breakfast," I asked her and she replied, "I will, Now come on get up and get ready so that we can go fast." Saying this she pulls me towards the bathroom.
*****
Aiden's POV
I was sitting on the beach watching Cassandra play beach volleyball with a few of our neighbours. After playing with her for a few minutes Vincent comes towards me and asks "Have a spot for me?"
"Off course the entire beach is there, go sit anywhere you want." I say and look at him to see him shake his head for a no and says "Come on man, I know it's about Cassandra, but even we knew the day I tied a knot to her, we were bound to cross paths, whatever the issue is between us let the reason not be her, we are trying to be somewhere, our issue is just getting in between."
"Look Vincent I don't care what you both do, I know everything is not flowers and butterflies in your life, but I don't want her to suffer at the end, that's all."
"I know man, I am truly sorry, I will make it up to you too" he tells it with a smirk and sits next to me.
"Aiden why did you let her go to UK? You loved her, I knew you could never let your baby sister away from yourself for a long time, so why let her go?" he asks something in his eyes that tells me he is hurt and wants answers.
"You expect me to let her go so easily? I did put up a fight with her, even to the extent of hurting her physically but Dad stopped me on time." I say with remorse in my eyes.
"What do you mean Aiden?" he asks with a frown.
"It all started 6 years ago Vincent, when I brought Hazel home from the hospital..."
6 years ago
I was so angry with Cassandra that she could not come once and check on Hazel's health, I know she has a dislike towards Hazel but what was the need for her to not come once and check on her? Hazel has been admitted to the hospital for the past 1 week after the swimming pool incident, nor once did Cassandra ask about her or visit her.
After we brought Hazel home, I helped her to bed and was about to storm into Cassandra's room to put some light onto that head of hers but I saw her in the living room, talking to Mom and Dad.
I strom down and shout "Where the fuck on earth were you? Being such a disrespectful brat that you are"
"Why are you shouting at me, when you guys have been missing for the past one week" she mumbles, which irritates me to the core. "Off course Cassandra, we went on a holiday to Spain, didn't we Mom and Dad?"
"Enough Aiden she wants to tell us something, Let her finish" Dad says with a stern look at me and asks her to continue.
"Mom, Dad I know what I am about to tell you guys is not the best but I need to do this." She tells and I cut her off "Offcourse you won't be pregnant, so continue the damm story of yours so I can finish taming that brat inside you."
"What is it Aiden, what the fuck is your problem, I am not even talking to you, and you are here scolding me for no reason, you are just my brother, not my Dad for you to behave like one" she shouts and I take a step towards her "What is the reason Cassandra, you tell me, where on earth were you for the past 1 week, no phone calls, not even visiting, will you show your dislike to someone in such a manner?"
"Iwas at home only for the past 1 week, you do you expect me to call you everyother fucking time, why can't you call me, moreover why should I come to Harvardto meet you, every other fucking time? I don't want you and your friends to babysit me every time I visit you guys, so from now on I won't visit you guys." She yells and moves towards Dad.
"Offcourse you won't visit Cassandra, why will you? The brat in you..." I was cut off by Dad yelling at me "Enough you two, Aiden she wants to tell me something, so just spare us time and you both can start your catfight later." So I just shut my mouth and paid attention to whatever she had to say.
"Dad I plan on going to UK, to study medicine in University of Cambridge." She tells me in a calm manner and here I loose my shit and yell "What is wrong with you idiot, why will you go to Cambridge, when your dream all along was Harvard? Are you seriously nuts or something?"
"Aiden please I don't want to be a trouble to or your friends, I want to enjoy my life rather than being your baby sister. I can't even make friends with you being around me constantly. They will only be my friends if they want to get into your pants."
"Enough Cassandra, you are just annoying me to the core now, Where is your Harvard acceptance letter? It should have come by now. Get that to me, let's go get you admitted into that."
She says a no with her head and says "I burnt it yesterday and I accepted my offer at Cambridge."
"Cassandra, what is wrong with you darling? You can hardly stay away from us for more than a week, now look at what you are doing, if Aiden was the problem, we could have found a solution, why to burn the letter and accept another without even informing" Mom sobs.
Cassandra goes and hugs Mom and starts crying "Every time we can't get what we want Mom and I don't want to go to Harvard at any cost, please understand Mom, I can't do it."
"What is that supposed to mean, you can't do it? Fu kingly you use your dimwit of a mind to burn the letter, your idiot" I yell at her once again.
"I can't do it, means I can't Aiden, I fuckligly don't want to go to Harvard after everything, I don't even want to step a foot into that place, so forgive me if I am dumb enough to burn the acceptance letter and idiot to want to go to Cambridge." She tells me.
"Cassandra if you didn't want Harvard any other school would have worked out here only, why Cambridge? Why a different continent? You are nuts to even think I am letting you go away" I yell as I pull her away from Mom and stare at her, She struggles in my hold but I don't loosen my hold on her arms.
"Aiden listen, I did what I thought was best for me, not you guys, I want to enjoy life rather than begin one lovesick puppy around you and your friends, and let go of my hand, it hurts." She wriggles.
Listening to her I felt like slapping her, I did raise my hand to do that but Dad held onto my hand and said "Let go Aiden, just step out of this, she is asking mine and your Mom's permission and clearly not your, so don't you dare step into our place and tell her what's right and what's wrong."
"Dad look at her, she knows she cannot live without us, yet does such stupidity" I tell as I let go of Cassandra's arms.
"I can see what she wants to do in her life and what not to, I just don't understand why you are acting like a child, She made a decision for herself, so let me talk to her and decide what's right for her and what is not rather than you acting like a caveman."
I huff and nod at him, while he continues "Tell me Cassandra are you willing to stay there all alone? You know child what Aiden is telling is right, even though he is going rough on you."
she takes a deep breath and says "I know Dad, I have never been away from you guys, but I want to do it, I want to get to know who Cassandra is not the Cassandra the world knows as knight family daughter or Aiden's baby sister. I know you guys are worried, but I promise I will take care of myself, I will keep you informed of every other thing, as usual, no boy..boyfriends, moreover, you guys need not even worry as Cole and Avery will also be in the same place but a different university, nearly less than an hour drive from mine."
"Ok darling if that's what you want to do, I am fine with it. But even before I let you go I need to make sure everything is alright, my way ok?" he tells her and hugs her, calming her down.
*****
"After all that, Dad checked out everything, and also convinced Mom to let her go. I was so angry with her that I didn't even say her goodbye but after a week I ran back to her to Cambridge and we patched up." I finished.
"Ohh, that must have been hard for you." Vincent finishes when Cassandra comes near us and squats in front of Vincent and says "Come on Vince, let's enjoy, why are sulking here with Aiden?"
"No baby it's fine, you go, I will just look out for you from those creepy guys." He says with a wink. "Hmmm nnoooo Vince, come na" She gives a small pout and holds his hands. At the same time, I saw, Cassandra's wedding band missing from her finger and turned to look around but it was on Vincent's chain, which he would always wear, So I didn't worry much.
"No Tesoro, I am fine here, go now." He tells and she gets up and starts to go back but returns back and kisses him. It was a small kiss, but I turned my back on them, Who would want to see their baby sister making out with their best friend?
After she left I turned to Vincent and asked "Vince, I seriously wanted to ask you one question, that has been bugging me for a very long time."
"Ask Aiden, what's that?" he says as his gaze is on Cassandra. So I shoot the question "Why did you drink and drive that day, why were you so out of control for the entire week before the incident, that you were about to give your life? I mean 5 years ago, the accident where you and your mother... you know"
He looks straight into my eyes and says "I loved her Aiden, I truly loved her from the bottom of my heart, she was my everything, I was ready to forgive her for everything, my love was so blind for her, she was so perfect, she could rule my heart from miles away even without her knowledge but everything was an illusion, she broke me apart, she tore me in ways I could not even describe."
"Who Hazel?" I asked as I was puzzled.
"No not her, now I realise Hazel was just a bounce back from her, nothing more, I can never love anyone like I loved that girl, she was a wizard who had bound me in her love, but as soon as the illusion broke, I was broken." He tells with a heavy heart.
"So in that depression, you crashed into the vehicle that day?" I asked
"No Aiden, that's not the reason, she was leaving that day, she was fuckingly leaving me alone here, without even a goodbye, she could have at least said that she was leaving, I swear I would never have her leave me but I was late to reach the airport, I missed her that day by few hours or minutes, I don't know"
He took a deep breath and continued "I got the news from our common fried, so I left in search of her, I stayed at the airport searching like crazy for 10 hours of no use so I sat in my car and started to drink once again when Mom called that she is at the airport, I just picked her but due to a lot of alcohol in my system I lost it and crashed."
"You told me everything was an illusion and also now she left not the other way around?" I asked.
"No Aiden, a week before the accident she proposed to me, she fuckingly went on her knees for me, but the illusion was worn off, I fucking told her, I don't love her and she can get lost, she took my words to seriously and left the country, without telling me." He said and wiped a lone tear from his eyes.
"So both of you loved each other very badly but you rejected her, Also you ended up in the airport searching for her, but didn't find her?" I asked and he nodded and was about to get up when I held his hand and asked "You never asked me why Cassandra left in the 1st place?" At this, his face pales and he asks "You know"
"I know now but not when she left, If I knew at that time, I would have never left her to leave" I say.
UPLOADED ON 13/09/2023