Bound By A Broken Night novel Chapter 111

Chapter 111

Her words echoed, sharp and desperate.

“Cassie!”

The glass doors slid shut. Her voice faded on the other side.

Silence fell. Heavy. Uncomfortable.

The staff standing nearby lowered their eyes, anxiety written plainly across their faces as they cautiously glanced toward Ashton

No one spoke. No one moved.

Cassidy remained still. Her gaze was fixed on the glass entrance.

On the figures outside–Mirriam and Rima–who turned back briefly, throwing venomous, murderous glares toward the building before finally storming away.

Cassidy watched until they disappeared from view. Her expression was blank.

Ashton watched her, holding himself still, not daring to speak.

He waited. Waited for the questions. For the anger. For the accusations he knew he deserved.

But the confrontation never came.

Cassidy did nothing.

She simply stood there, unmoving, her eyes unfocused–staring at nothing, or perhaps at something only she could see.

The silence stretched.

Each passing second tightened around Ashton’s nerves, heavier than any outburst could have been. He would have preferred her anger. Her coldness. Even her hatred.

Anything but this quiet.

Then, after what felt like an eternity, she moved. One step. Then another.

She walked toward the exit.

Her pace was steady, certain–but there was something distant about it, as if her body were moving on its own while her mind lagged far behind.

Ashton followed quietly.

Keeping just enough distance so she wouldn’t feel cornered, yet close enough that he could reach her if she faltered.

They stepped out of the building.

The afternoon noise of the city drifted around them–traffic, distant voices, the ordinary rhythm of life that felt strangely disconnected from the storm that had just unfolded.

Cassidy didn’t head toward the driveway where the cars were waiting.

Instead, she turned toward the sidewalk.

And kept walking. Slowly. Aimlessly.

Aside from a few scattered pedestrians, the path was nearly empty. People passed by without a second glance, unaware of the quiet unraveling happening right in front of them.

29 BONUS

Ashton watched her carefully as she walked ahead of him.

At first, her steps seemed aimless–slow, distant, almost mechanical. There was no urgency in her pace, no sign that she was heading anywhere in particular. Her eyes remained unfocused, her posture quiet and withdrawn.

For a moment, he thought she wasn’t aware of where she was going at all.

Still, he didn’t call out to her. He didn’t try to stop her. He simply followed quietly.

Keeping a careful distance as he matched her pace, close enough to reach her if she stumbled, far enough that she wouldn’t feel/ cornered.

He let her walk. Let her think. Let her carry the weight of everything she had just learned.

And he stayed behind her–quiet, watchful, ready in case that weight finally broke her.

Minutes passed.

Then more.

The distance between them and the company stretched farther and farther, the corporate buildings slowly giving way to quieter streets. When the lagoon came into view ahead, Ashton’s gaze sharpened slightly.

And then she turned toward it.

Only then did he realize–She hadn’t been wandering after all. She knew exactly where she was going.

The park, usually crowded by late afternoon, was strangely empty. No joggers circled the path yet. No families had spread their picnic blankets across the grass. No office workers walked in small groups, unwinding after a long day. There were no dogs pulling eagerly at their leashes, no vendors setting up carts, no children’s laughter carried by the wind.

The place felt suspended in stillness. Quiet. Almost solemn.

Cassie walked past the neatly trimmed hedges and across the wide carpet of green, her steps slowing as she approached the line of trees planted around the lagoon for shade.

She stopped beneath one of them.

Ashton halted immediately, leaving a respectful distance between them.

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