When Love Finds Its Way Back (Cassienne and Dreston) novel Chapter 327

Chapter Three Hundred And Twenty-Seven: Might Truly Be Over

Daisy arrived at the agreed venue earlier than Ray.

The restaurant was quiet at this hour, with only a few occupied tables scattered around the dining area. Soft music played somewhere in the background, blending with the occasional clink of glasses and cutlery.

Normally, Daisy would have appreciated the peaceful atmosphere.

Tonight, she barely noticed it.

She sat near the window with both hands wrapped around a glass of water she had not touched in nearly ten minutes.

Her heart was beating much harder than it should have been.

For days, Cassienne’s words had refused to leave her alone.

“Do you love Ray?”

At first she had denied it. Then she avoided it.

She spent several sleepless nights staring at the ceiling and finally admitting the truth to herself.

Yes. She loved him.

Somewhere between the teasing, the arguments, the friendship, the comfort, and all those moments she never took seriously enough, she had fallen in love with him.

And now she was sitting here wondering if she was already too late.

A waiter approached politely. “Would you like to order while you wait, miss?”

Daisy offered a small smile. “I’ll wait for my guest.”

The waiter nodded and left. Daisy glanced at the entrance again. But nothing. She lowered her gaze and immediately thought of Cassienne again.

Her best friend had practically ordered her to stop running away.

“If you love him, then tell him.”

Simple advice. Terrifying execution.

The sound of approaching footsteps made her look up.

And there he was.

Ray.

For a second, everything else disappeared. The restaurant. The people. The music, and everything.

He looked exactly the same. Tall and composed. Handsome enough to make women stare without shame. Yet somehow tonight he looked different too.

He looked tired.

The smile Daisy usually saw around him seemed absent. Ray spotted her immediately, and their eyes met.

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Neither smiled at first.And somehow that hurt.

Then Ray finally walked toward her. “Daisy.”

His voice was calm.

“Ray.”

He pulled out the chair opposite hers and sat down. For several seconds neither of them knew what to say. The awkwardness felt almost unreal.

These were two people who could once talk endlessly about absolutely nothing. Now they sat facing each other like strangers carefully choosing every word.

A waiter appeared, orders were placed. Then silence returned. Daisy hated it. Ray hated it too.

Neither admitted it. But finally Daisy cleared her throat. “How is Tina?”

Ray leaned back slightly. “Stable.”

Daisy released a small breath. “That’s good.”

“The doctors are optimistic.”

She nodded. “That’s really good.”

Ray studied her briefly. “You were worried about her.”

Daisy looked down at the table. “Of course I was.”

The answer came immediately. Because despite everything Tina had done, Daisy never truly wished harm upon

her.

Ray nodded quietly. Then silence returned again. Later the food arrived. Neither touched it immediately.

Eventually Daisy picked up her fork. Then put it down again. This wasn’t working. She hadn’t come all this way to discuss hospital updates.

And neither had he. Again, the silence stretched.

Then finally Daisy broke it. “I heard about your engagement.”

The words settled between them immediately. Ray’s expression changed. And suddenly the atmosphere became even heavier.

For a moment he simply looked at her. Then he spoke. “You left me no choice.”

Daisy froze. Her fingers tightened slightly beneath the table.

No choice?

The words hit harder than she expected. Ray looked away briefly before returning his gaze to hers.

His voice remained controlled, and calm. But there was pain underneath it. Pain Daisy had never heard before.

“You made your decision.”

Daisy frowned slightly. “My decision?”

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Ray nodded once. “I respected it.”

Confusion filled her immediately. What decision? What was he talking about?

Then she remembered. The engagement, of course, the other woman. The woman he was marrying. The woman she had already lost him to.

Her chest tightened painfully.

Across from her, Ray was fighting a completely different battle.

Because every time he looked at Daisy, he remembered the day he saw her with another man.

Kael.

The man Ray had convinced himself was now part of her life. He had believed that he was the man she had chosen.

The man he believed she was sharing her heart with. It really broke something inside him.

And he hated himself for how much it hurt. “You seemed happy,” Ray said quietly.

Daisy blinked. “What?”

“You moved on.”

The words sounded almost bitter. Daisy stared at him, completely confused now.

Moved on? From what? From him?

She wanted to ask. But somehow the courage wouldn’t come.

At least not tonight. Not when he was already engaged.

Ray looked down briefly before continuing. “I wasn’t going to keep chasing someone who didn’t want the same things.”

That hurt. Because he wasn’t wrong.

For months Daisy had rejected every attempt he made to take things further. She laughed, dodged, and changed the subject. She even ran away.

And now that she finally wanted to stop running, he was gone.

Daisy lowered her eyes. “I see.”

Ray laughed softly. But there was no humor in it. “I don’t think you do.”

The words hung between them, painfully.

Daisy’s heart was screaming at her to tell him the truth before it became impossible. But every time she opened her mouth, she remembered the engagement.

The future wife.

The woman waiting somewhere in his future. And suddenly the words died.

Again. Ray watched her. Waiting.

Part of him is still hoping, still foolishly hoping-Maybe she would stop him-Maybe she would tell him not to

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do it.

Maybe she would finally choose him. Instead, Daisy smiled. The same smile she used whenever she was hurting but refused to let anyone know.

And somehow that smile hurt Ray more than anything else tonight.

“Then congratulations, Ray.”

The words landed like a knife. Daisy forced herself to keep smiling.

“Really.”

Ray stared at her. Something inside him sank, deeply and painfully. Because some stupid part of him had expected a different answer.

He expected a fight, anger, or something. Anything. Instead she was congratulating him.

Letting him go.

And suddenly he felt foolish. Very foolish. The rest of the dinner passed quietly.

Two people carefully avoiding the truth. Two people misunderstanding each other completely.

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