When Love Finds Its Way Back (Cassienne and Dreston) novel Chapter 302

Chapter Three Hundred And Two: Don’t Carry This Alone

The silence that followed Dreston’s words felt heavier than anything else. Inside the living room of the Tremont mansion, Cassienne sat frozen on the couch with her phone pressed tightly against her ear, her knuckles pale from the strength of her grip.

Beside her, Jessica remained unusually quiet for once, sensing that this moment was bigger than comfort, or anything simple words could fix.

On the other side of the call, Dreston stood alone outside Tina’s ICU room. The hallway lights reflected dimly against the glass walls around him while armed security personnel remained stationed nearby like silent sentinels. Everything looked calm now on the surface. But beneath that calm, nothing felt safe anymore. The illusion of control had shattered completely.

Cassienne was the first to finally speak, her voice barely above a whisper. “What do you mean?”

Dreston lowered his eyes briefly, staring at the polished hospital floor as if it held answers he couldn’t yet see. “She tried warning us before the accident happened.”

Cassienne’s chest tightened immediately, a sharp ache blooming beneath her ribs.

“She said someone was after her too,” he continued quietly, each word measured and heavy. “And right before surgery… she mentioned the lab.”

The lab.

That single word settled heavily between them, carrying the weight of years of buried secrets and unanswered questions.

Cassienne leaned back slowly against the couch, her free hand instinctively moving to rest over the gentle swell of her belly. Her mind immediately returned to her parents, to the hidden Rhodes laboratory, to the tragic incident everyone had tried so desperately to bury and forget.

For years, that tragedy had existed like a sealed wound nobody wanted to reopen. But now it was bleeding into the present again, staining everything it touched.

“She knows something,” Cassienne whispered softly, the realization sending a chill down her spine.

“Yes.”

Dreston finally moved away from the ICU doors and walked slowly toward one of the more silent sections of the hallway, his footsteps echoing faintly in the sterile space. And somehow, he genuinely looked tired–not just physically, but mentally exhausted in a way that went soul–deep.

Because the more he connected the events happening around them, the uglier and more complex the truth was becoming

Cassienne lowered her voice carefully, almost afraid to voice the thought aloud. “The attack this morning She paused boethy swallowing hard. “Do you think it’s connected to what happened to me?”

Dreston did not answer her right away. And somehow, that silence frightened her more than any direct contumaton evetand

Finally, he spoke, his voice low and grave “Yes”

Cassienne closed her eyes slowly, the confirmation hitting her like a physical blow Because deep down, she already knews

The attack at the gaming event

The man that tried to stab her.

Tina, suddenly panicking and unraveling The attempted hit and run that morning

It could no longer be dismissed as coincidence

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Someone was moving pieces carefully around them, orchestrating events with cold coordination. And whoever it was – they were dangerous. Far more dangerous than Tina Ackley had ever been.

“I don’t even know who we’re fighting,” Dreston admitted quietly, the rare vulnerability in his voice cutting straight through Cassienne’s heart.

That sentence hit harder than anything else. Because Dreston Tremont was not a man who admitted uncertainty easily. He was the one who always had a plan, always stayed three steps ahead. Yet tonight, he sounded genuinely unsettled, stripped of his usual unshakable confidence.

Cassienne could almost picture him standing alone in that cold hospital hallway–exhausted, thinking too much, carrying too much on his shoulders while the world kept trying to crumble around them:

And suddenly, her heart hurt for him in a way that went beyond words.

“DT,” she said softly, the tenderness in her voice immediately pulling his full attention back toward her.

For a few seconds, neither of them spoke. But somehow, the silence between them no longer felt empty. It felt intimate. Like two people trying to hold each other together from different places, connected only by a phone line and unbreakable love.

Then quietly, Dreston admitted something he had not allowed himself to say aloud before. “I was terrified tonight.”

Cassienne’s breath caught slightly in her throat.

“When that car hit Tina…” he continued, his voice lower now, rougher with emotion, “the first thing I thought about was you.”

He rubbed his palm tiredly across his face before continuing. “I kept thinking what would’ve happened if you were standing closer. If it had been you instead of her.”

Cassienne’s chest tightened painfully, tears stinging the corners of her eyes.

“You’re pregnant, Cass.” His voice roughened slightly now, cracking with the weight of his fear. “And suddenly it felt like I couldn’t protect either of you enough. Like everything I’ve built, everything I’ve done, still wasn’t enough.”

The confession shook something deeply inside her. Because beneath Dreston’s control, beneath his possessiveness, beneath his anger and power…There was fear.

Cassienne swallowed softly before speaking, her voice gentle and steady for him. “You’re protecting us, DT. Every single day.”

“No,” Dreston replied immediately, the honesty raw and unflinching. “I’m reacting.”

That honesty stunned her into momentary silence.

“I should’ve taken the threats more seriously earlier,” he continued quietly. “I thought I had everything under control 1 thought I could shield you from all of it.”

But now he understood the truth. They were fighting someone they could not see. Someone patient enough to manipulate Dina, attack Cassienne publicly, and attempt murder outside a hospital in broad daylight.

And the worst part? They still had no idea who it was

Cassienne looked down briefly toward her abdomen before speaking softly, trying to anchor them both “We’ll figure it out Together.”

Dreston leaned back against the wall behind him and closed his eyes briefly. God. He missed her. The last few weeks had been exhausting emotionally the fake engagement, the forced distance between them, the constant pressure, the fear.

And now this.

Finally, his voice softened again, carrying the longing he had been holding back “I should be home with you.”

– Ans

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Cassienne smiled faintly despite everything weighing on them. “You sound guilty.”

“I am guilty.”

That almost made her laugh softly. Almost.

“I’m serious,” he continued. “You shouldn’t be sleeping alone while this is happening.”

Jessica immediately mouthed dramatically from beside Cassienne: “Excuse me? I’m literally here.”

Cassienne nearly smiled properly this time, the small moment of lightness a welcome relief.

“You’re overprotective,” she murmured softly into the phone, affection threading through her words.

“And you’re not protective enough of yourself,” he countered gently.

“Someone has to balance us.”

That finally pulled the faintest breath of amusement from him. And hearing that tiny shift in his breathing eased Cassienne’s heart slightly, reminding her that they were still them, even in the middle of chaos.

For a moment, things almost felt normal again. Almost.

Then Dreston’s tone became serious once more. “I’m transferring Tina out of Southvale.”

Cassienne frowned slightly. “Where?”

“Simpson Medical in Lisbourn.”

Immediately, she understood why. Better security. More control. Less exposure to whoever was hunting them here.

“Ray agreed?” she asked softly.

“Yes.”

Cassienne nodded slowly to herself. That was probably the safest decision now.

Dreston lowered his voice again afterward, the protectiveness returning full force. “I’m increasing your security too.”

“DT-”

“No arguments.”

Cassienne sighed quietly, knowing there was no point fighting him on this.

“I mean it, Cass. Nobody approaches you alone anymore. No public schedules without clearance. No unnecessary appearances until we know who we’re dealing with.”

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