Page 95 of As the Rain Falls (Sainte Madeleine #1)

She has everything on her side right now, all the cards at hand. There’s nothing more obvious than the wounds on her face and body; no way to deny that he’s abusing her.

“He could’ve killed you, you know that, right?”

“My family is going through a lot right now,” Cassandra reminds me, keeping her volume at a minimum. “We need money. My grandmother is really sick.”

“That’s not a reason,” I cut her off gently, tucking her hair behind her ear.

Cassandra needs to make herself a priority now, rather than later. Who knows what he might do to her next?

“If it’s not about you, baby, it’s not a reason.”

“Please!” She cries, looking at me now. I can’t stand to see her face so wounded. It breaks my heart. “If you care about me at all, if I mean anything to you, don’t call the police.”

This whole thing is twisted. She can’t be defending him of all people. Has he gotten inside her mind this much?

“Am I supposed to let him get away with this?” I sigh, feeling suddenly very tired. “Jesus, Cass. Let me at least take a picture.”

Evidence. I need evidence of this. It’s the first thing they’re going to ask of me, especially knowing that Nathaniel and I have already fought before.

I can already tell that they won’t believe me if I don’t have anything to show for it besides random accusations, just like they didn’t believe me for Lucia. They won’t trust my word, not after what happened at the fundraiser, and safely assume it’s all about me holding a grudge.

“No!” Cassandra cries, nails digging into my skin. “I’m begging you!”

“What…” My voice falters, the inner corner of my eyes starting to sting. “What are we going to do, then? I want to help you.” The words slip out without me noticing. “You’re important to me.”

“I really am?” Her voice is full of surprise. “Why?”

She tilts her head down, and our lips brush because we’re too close. I pull back a little, but my fingers gently trace her face, memorizing every bit of her that’s wounded.

“Why? Are you asking me if… Cassandra, of course, you are important to me,” I choke out. “What the hell? How can you think that I don’t care about you?”

She flinches, not wanting to believe me. “Are you talking about our conversation that day? In your car?”

“I’m not just talking about that .” I grip her a little tighter, cupping her face now.

My stomach rolls uncomfortably the longer I stare at her, seeing what he’s been doing all along while I fall asleep next door.

“You’re my friend . You’re mine. I would’ve cared about you regardless.

Regardless of anything, okay? Even if they told me you were wrong. ”

I hear steps coming up the stairs.

Someone knocks on the door.

I nearly jump off the bed.

“Cassie?” Nathaniel calls out before trying to open her door. He tries to push it, but the door won’t budge. “Are you awake?”

The sound of his voice alone disgusts me. Cassandra starts to pull away, nervously glancing at the door. I gently nudge her aside, trying to get her to sit on the bed. Alert, I wait for him to call her name, my heartbeat speeding up as I take a step forward towards her door.

Her brother tries to force the doorknob again, starting to get annoyed. “Cassandra? Can you hear me?

“What are you doing?”

Another voice asks. Her father’s.

“It’s locked,” Nathaniel groans, letting the doorknob go. “Why is her door locked?”

I brace myself, ready to face him in case he tries to open the door. She reaches out, grabbing my arm and pulling me back, forcing me to stay in place. My lips part, forming the first syllable of her name, but she rises to her tippy toes and covers my lips with her hand.

“Shush!” Cassandra whispers, closing her eyes shut. “Just wait. They’ll go away.”

“I—”

“Quiet!” She cuts me off, her forehead touching mine. “Just stay quiet, okay?”

We breathe together, eagerly waiting for him to leave. Her eyelashes flutter open, and I touch her wrist, bringing her arm down. Our lips gently brush, and my whole body shivers.

I’ll kill him.

“Maybe she’s asleep,” her father tells him, already starting to walk away. “Let’s go back. I need to show you something Robert sent me. If we want the collaboration to work, we need to make sure the kids understand what this turtle bullshit is all about.”

Nathaniel hesitates before stepping away too.Their voices start to grow quieter, the volume coming down as they drift further from her bedroom.

“They’re freshmen, not fucking stupid. Give them a few slides, a bit of context, and they’ll understand what to do.”

“ And, anyway, it’s not that complicated to make… ”

We wait, and wait, until I stop counting down the seconds in my head. Once everything becomes quiet again, I find her arms circling my torso, slowly pulling me into a hug.

I stumble forward, the adrenaline wearing off. My muscles are tense, and only then do I realize that I was feeling a little nervous, too.

Two men against one would be a lot to handle.

Cassandra whispers my name against my chest, panic subsiding. I bury my face in the crook of her neck, allowing myself to relax for now.