She Swore Never To Be The Other Woman But He Made Her One Anyway Chapter 03

She Swore Never To Be The Other Woman But He Made Her One Anyway Chapter 03

That was the first time he said anything like that.

I used to think he was just bored and came here for some peace and quiet.

From that day on, he started pursuing me.

He was very serious about it.

When my pipe burst at 2 AM, he didn’t hesitate to drive over, rolling up his sleeves to get under the sink, hands covered in sludge.

I watched him from the side, my eyes stinging.

He looked up and grinned at me. “What are you looking at? Never seen such a handsome repairman?”

The high-and-mighty Silas Sterling would actually lower his head for me.

In that moment, I thought—had I found what my mother waited a lifetime for?

But I was still afraid.

I am the mistress’s daughter.

I was afraid of following my mother’s path, afraid that the person I met would have someone else in their heart, afraid it would all just be for nothing.

So I told him everything about my mother.

That night we were lying in my small bed, he was holding me, and I was tucked into his chest.

In the darkness, I asked him:

“Silas, do you mind?”

“Mind what?”

“My mother was a mistress. I am a mistress’s daughter.”

He was silent for a while.

Then he pulled me a little closer, his chin resting on the top of my head, his voice muffled:

“Cassie, your mother is your mother, and you are you.”

“If I minded, I wouldn’t have started this with you in the first place.”

I believed him.

I gave myself to him completely.

He called me a fool, yet in the middle of the night, he would tuck my freezing feet into his chest to warm them.

When I was doubled over with period cramps, he drove across the city to buy that artisanal dark maple syrup I had mentioned.

Once, when I had a fever and was delirious, I cried and asked my mother why she had to wait for that man.

He held me in his arms, his voice raspy: “Cassie, with me, you don’t have to wait.”

I thought he was the exception.

I thought I had won the gamble.

Until that day.

That day, he said he had a business engagement and told me to sleep early.

I couldn’t sleep, so I went to the private club he frequented, wanting to give him a surprise.

I asked a server for his room number in the hallway; they said he was in The Emerald Lounge.

I walked over.

The door wasn’t fully closed, leaving a crack.

It was loud inside—the sound of glasses clinking and people laughing.

I heard his voice.

“Silas, the bet’s been running for three months now, right? Is this girl actually in love, or is she just a damn good actress?”

It was his friends jeering.

Then came his voice.

Nonchalant, with a hint of a smile:

“Who knows.”

“Isn’t her mother the perfect example?”

“The mistress’s daughter is always a mistress.”

“I just like that defiant, high-and-mighty look of hers. Keeping her around isn’t a bad idea.”

I stood outside, listening to the laughter inside.

Every word, perfectly clear.

But I didn’t leave. I stood at the door.

I thought, what if.

What if he’s just acting tough.

What if he actually cares about me.

What if?

I knocked.

He opened the door, froze for a moment when he saw me, then smiled. “Why are you here?”

He took my hand and looked down at me. “Waiting for me?”

“Yes.”

He ruffled my hair. “Silly girl, it’s so cold out.”

That night he drove me home, peeling pomegranates for me in the car.

I chewed the fruit, watching him.

He asked, “What are you looking at?”

I said, “Nothing.”

Later, I found out that he had his phone on silent that night because he was afraid his fiancée would check in on him.

His fiancée was Eleanor Montgomery.

The Princess of the elites, a perfect match.

She had always been there.

Only the baby in my stomach was never supposed to be.

The baby is gone.

The day I came out of the operating room, it was raining.

I stood at the hospital entrance, staring blankly at the curtain of rain.

My phone rang.

An unknown number.

“Cassie Vance? I’m Eleanor Montgomery.”

“Is it convenient to meet?”