Bound By A Broken Night novel Chapter 40

Chapter 40

“Are you okay, Cassie?”

Drie’s voice cut through the haze, sharp enough to pull me back into the present.

Six years. And here I was returning to my birthplace.

The city that had watched me fight for a sliver of space I could call my own, only for me to realize, far too late, that I had never been given one to begin with.

Earlier, during the flight, I had stared out the airplane window. As the familiar outlines slowly emerged below, conflicting emotions closed in around me longing and fear, twisted so tightly together I couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began. The realization unsettled me more than the sight itself.

For six years, I had lived in a foreign land with nothing but the brilliance of my mind, my stubborn resolve, and borrowed money from the Pierces hanging over my head like a gamble I couldn’t afford to lose. Every move I made had carried the weight of that debt—and the risk of failing the people whom I have learned to care.

Yet I had built something from nothing.

Not just success for myself, but stability for those I had chosen to protect. It hadn’t come easily. Every step had been paid for in sleepless nights, calculated risks, and decisions that left no room for weakness.

I had believed that made me untouchable. Indomitable.

And yet the fear crept in all the same.

My hands were cold, my skin prickling as if my body remembered what my mind tried so desperately to forget. No matter how vast my empire had grown, no matter how powerful I had become, returning to a place that had never valued me stripped me down to the same raw vulnerability I’d felt six years ago.

Nothing had changed.

“Cassie?”

I felt Drie’s hand close around my arm. When I turned, his worried gaze met mine.

“The car is waiting,” he said, gesturing ahead.

Only then did I realize we were already outside the arrivals area.

“Come,” he added gently. “I know you’re tired.”

He tightened his hold just enough to guide me forward, and I followed without protest. But as we moved, I felt Bay City settle into my nerves–familiar and unwelcome, like an old scar aching before a storm.

Chapter 40

+25 BONUS

The night air carried a sharp blend of smoke and fuel. Around us, the city hummed softly- restless, breathing–even in sleep. The sounds, the scents, the weight of it all seeped into me, settling beneath my skin.

I recognized Bay City not through sight or sound alone, but through sensation. Through memory. Through everything I had never truly left behind.

Even after I had been settled into one of the most luxurious hotel rooms the city had to offer- wrapped in sheets softer than anything I’d ever known–I didn’t sleep. Not even for a blink.

The opulence felt wrong, almost accusatory. Every polished surface and indulgent detail only sharpened the feeling that I didn’t belong here. Instead of soothing me, the luxury tightened something in my chest, filling me with quiet unease.

Sleep refused to come.

I lay awake, tense and alert, just as I had been during my years in the Knowles household–trained to keep my rest shallow and fractured, ready to wake at the faintest sound in case Miriam or Madame Rima called for me. My body remembered that conditioning too well.

So I remained awake, staring into the darkness, listening to a city that had never truly allowed me to rest.

And when the first light of morning finally crept across Bay City’s sky–soft, pale–I was still wide awake, greeting my return with open, unblinking eyes.

Despite the lack of sleep, I got myself ready for the day.

I showered, letting the warm water chase away at least some of the restlessness, then dressed in a simple beige blouse and brown slacks, paired with casual beige loafers. Nothing extravagant. Nothing that drew attention. Just enough to feel put together before joining Drie for breakfast.

“The documents you need are in your briefcase,” I said, helping myself to the spread laid out on the table. “I’ve already instructed Lemuel as well.”

The food was surprisingly good–comforting, even. I might have been exhausted, but my appetite had returned as if my body were trying to make up for the night I’d lost.

“You didn’t sleep,” Drie said instead of responding.

I gave a small chuckle. “No. My brain refused to cooperate.”

He set his utensils down and took a slow sip of his coffee. “What are your plans for today?”

“It’s been six years since I’ve been away,” I replied with a shrug and a faint smile. “While you handle the business we came here for, I thought I’d reconnect with this place. On my own.”

“You’re going to meet him?” he asked playfully, continuing to eat as if the question were casual.

“No,” I answered too quickly. “I have no plans to, you know that.” I rolled my eyes in exasperation.

Chapter 40

+25 BONUS

I felt his gaze linger on me for a brief moment before he looked back down at his plate.

“Bay City is small, Cassie,” he said after a pause. “You should be prepared.”

“I know, Drie.” I let out a slow breath.

Six years together had made us far too familiar with each other’s silences. He noticed the slightest shift in my mood, the smallest hesitation in my voice. Somehow, he could read me more clearly than I could read myself.

“Just call me if you need anything,” he said, lifting his cup again.

“I know,” I replied, teasing lightly. “You’d drop everything for me.”

He didn’t even smile.

“But don’t worry,” I added, forcing a grin. “I’m a little wiser now. And a little braver.”

“And a little dumber, too,” he said, finally glancing at me with a faintly amused smile.

“Well,” I shrugged, unfazed, “we’re all dumb in our own way.

כלי

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