The Don Tore Up Our Divorce (Gemma and Cassian) novel Chapter 285

Cassian’s POV

Seeing the situation spiraling beyond her control, Reyna takes a delicate step forward, her eyes welling up on cue. “It’s my fault,” she whispers, the picture of remorse. “Rhett sold the house to help me pay back the money. I owe Gemma that money.”

I don’t even try to hide my eye–roll.

Reyna turns her tear–filled gaze to me, a masterstroke of manipulation. “Gemma, I really didn’t realize that house was that important to Rhett. You just said the house might be gone soon. So can you give us our money back and I’ll find another way to pay you back afterward?”

The audacity is breathtaking. “You’re not sick, are you?” I ask, my voice flat. I finally got my money back, and she wants me to take it out before the day is over? Am I crazy, or is she crazy?

My bluntness makes her tears fall in earnest. She turns her ultimate weapon on the one person she thinks can still save her. “Cassian, please,” she begs, her voice breaking. “I’m begging you. I don’t want to make things that difficult for Rhett. Can you let Gemma help us buy the house first?”

All eyes turn to Cassian. He looks from Reyna’s performative sobs to Rhett’s stubborn shame, to his parents‘ heartbreak, and finally to my unyielding expression. His brow is furrowed tight,

the whole ridiculous spectacle clearly written on his face.

His answer is a single, cold, definitive word.

“No.”

The single, unadorned word hangs in the air, a stone dropped into the pond of Reyna’s theatrics. No. He refused without hesitation, and he chose to stand by my side.

I’m a little surprised, I’ll admit. I had been all ready, my mental armor locked into place, to hear him tell me to be generous, to give the money back first for the sake of his foolish friend. I’d even drafted a scathing retort in my head, a list of every reason why that was an idiotic suggestion. And now, none of it is used. The readiness leaves me feeling almost off–balance.

Reyna, of course, is more than stunned. She’s floored. Her performance has hit a wall she didn’t anticipate.

“That IOU was well thought out by you when it was written at the time,” Cassian continues, his voice cool and logical, dismantling her plea piece by piece. “You were supposed to pay it back. As for your current dispute, it has nothing to do with Gemma.”

I raise an eyebrow, looking at him with a newfound curiosity. Why do I think he’s suddenly gotten smarter these days? It’s an unsettling, but not entirely unwelcome, development.

“Cassian…” Reyna breathes his name, her eyes wide with a genuine, wounded incredulity. Is he really going to be this indifferent to me now? The foundation of her entire world, built on his past indulgence, is cracking.

“Reyna, don’t beg him,” Rhett interjects, his pride stung. He pulls her closer, a pathetic attempt at gallantry. “I’ll earn this money back somehow.”

His father, Hubert, scoffs, his fury now redirected with laser focus. “How are you gonna earn it?” He turns his angry gaze on Reyna. “You have an unclear relationship with my son, and you asked him to help you pay back so much money. You have evil intentions!”

Reyna shakes her head, a frantic, trembling motion. “No. You misunderstand me.”

And Rhett, the eternal fool, steps in front of her. “Dad, don’t talk to her like that. I offered to help her pay it back. It has nothing to do with Reyna.”

I can’t help the sigh that escapes me. He’s so stupid! He’s so blinded by his white–knight complex he can’t see he’s defending the very person who led him to financial ruin.

“This is a matter for the Whittaker family,” I announce, my patience at an end. The drama is exhausting. “Settle it yourselves. We’re going to bed, so please go home. Chloe, see them off!” I don’t wait for arguments. I effectively kick them out

of my house.

When the door finally closes and the house is quiet again, I glance at Cassian, who is looking thoughtfully at the space where his friend just stood. “You’re just like all your friends,” I remark, the words slipping out before I can stop them. They’re as dumb as each other.

He doesn’t seem to get my point, keeping his head down as he processes the night.

If Rhett didn’t have the strength, he shouldn’t have helped Reyna pay back the money. And since he decided to, he shouldn’t have sold the house without even thinking of a way

back.

*****

Later, I hear through the gossip vine that Hubert and Elisa Whittaker cut ties with Rhett straight away, declaring they’d be a family again only when he bought the house back. And Reyna, surprisingly, is still by his side, with no apparent intention of leaving.

“It’s okay if she really likes Rhett and knows to be grateful and treat him well,” Cassian muses one evening.

I want to laugh. The naivety is astounding. Reyna wouldn’t be Reyna if she could be grateful, I think. Her staying is the clearest sign that she’s not done using him yet.

“I’ll have Tom drop you off at Blackwell Industries tomorrow, and we’ll go over there together after my meeting,” he says, changing the subject to the upcoming Opal Group press conference.

“Don’t bother with that. I’ll drive there myself,” I reply out of

habit.

“The chairman of the Opal Group is a very family–oriented man who values marital harmony,” he states, as if this is a perfectly reasonable argument.

I don’t even know what to say to that.

*****

The next day, a custom–made gown from Cassian arrives at Oakhaven. I open the lavish gift box. Inside is not a modern cocktail dress, but a modified classical gown. It’s a stunning lake blue, embroidered with silver butterflies that look like entire galaxies swirling across the fabric, catching the light with every subtle movement. It fits me perfectly, hugging my form in a way that is both elegant and precise.

A cold clarity settles over me as I look in the mirror. If it had been a few more days, I probably wouldn’t have been able to wear it. My belly will get bigger every day. I narrow my eyes at my reflection, the beautiful gown feeling less like a gift and more like a countdown clock. I have to speed up the process. If I want

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