Page 63 of Neptune

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CASSIE

One month later Hallstatt, Austria

W inter has come. Time flew after I regained my memory.

When the truth about our story made the headlines, the world was shocked. I got a lot of notifications on my phone from my friends, other celebrities and my fans who wished me nothing but happiness.

Some haters who used to made my life miserable on social media even apologized after learning about what the three of us had been going through.

My team was also bombarded with questions upon questions—Oscar had a hard time answering the reporters.

Josephine's reputation was tainted.

Jude was silent at first, but then he surprised me by texting me, wishing me happiness. After hearing about my past and how hard it had been for me, he genuinely wanted me to be happy.

He knew that he would never have a chance with me. Luke, on the other hand, kept his deal to not leak the fact that Jude had once been a drug addict.

I texted Jude back, sincerely hoping that he would fully overcome his addiction and become a better person.

Now, I'm in Hallstatt. With Luke and Aiden. I feel overwhelmed to be here again after seven years. This place holds a very special place in my heart .

The three of us stand in front of Victor's house, the very same house where Luke and I poured out our feelings all those years ago.

Now, it is occupied by Luke's parents, who have been staying here since Klein Enterprise returned to its glory.

This is the first time that I'm going to meet my parents-in-law.

The door opens, revealing Arthur Klein, Luke's father. He greets us with a warm smile, but he can't hide the worn look and tiredness on his face due to years of struggling with hardships—most of his hair has turned white too.

Before he can speak, Aiden beats him to it. "Grandpa!" Aiden jumps at Arthur, hugging him. Arthur laughs.

"My boy, Aiden." Arthur ruffles Aiden's hair and kisses it.

Aiden looks up and grins, but when he sees his grandma walking from the living room, he runs to her. "Grandma!"

Rebecca, Luke's mother, catches Aiden in her arms.

She cups his face and kisses both of his cheeks. "My baby, my angel. I missed you so much, Aiden."

I'm starstruck, not expecting that they would be that close with Aiden. They must have been shocked when Luke brought Aiden from the orphanage, but then, who could resist Aiden?

Arthur and Luke hug each other briefly before Arthur shifts his attention to me. Before I can say anything, he gives me a hug too.

"It's good to see you here, Cassie." When he pulls away, I can see the unshed tears in his eyes. "We're very grateful to have you here. Come inside. My wife can't wait to see you."

Luke and I step into the house, and my heart clenches. It has been such a long time since I was here, but everything still looks the same, as if nobody has wanted to change anything about the house since Victor left.

Arthur shows Aiden his latest collections of Lego, definitely his gift for Aiden, and Aiden's eyes sparkle with excitement.

While Aiden talks animatedly to him and Luke, Rebecca approaches me and embraces me in a warm hug.

Rebecca's shoulders are shaking—she's crying .

She pulls away and wipes her tears. "I'm so glad to see you, Cassie. You don't know how long we've been waiting for a moment like this."

But I thought that they didn't like me. Noticing how overwhelmed I am, Rebecca drags me to the couch so that we can sit down and chat.

She holds my hands in hers. "We're very sorry for what happened." Another tear rolls down her cheek.

I stare at her, listening.

"What happened to Victor and Emily crushed our souls," Rebecca whispers.

"We never thought that we would lose our son like that.

Nothing has ever destroyed a mother more than knowing that her child died because of her mistake.

We shouldn't have forced Victor to marry Josephine.

It was our greatest mistake, and we would turn back time if we could. "

I feel my eyes watering from seeing how much sadness she has to bear.

"After Victor died, everything was a disaster.

" Rebecca's sobs break. "Not only were we crushed by his death, but our business was also going downhill.

Luke had to help us and was given a responsibility too big for his age at that time, and that was why he asked you to wait.

I'm sorry that, again, we caused two souls longing for each other to be apart.

But we didn't want to repeat our mistake.

When Klein Enterprise faced another threat two years ago and Josephine barged in again to offer us a solution, we respected Luke's choice that he would always want to be with you.

However, Klein Enterprise was at the bottom of hell, and my husband had a heart attack. "

My throat hurts. It must have been so hard for the three of them. This family has gone through a lot.

"You don't know how grateful we are that you came into Luke's life," she whispers. "You're the fire that kept him going. His love for you kept him driven. You saved him, Cassie. You saved our Luke. "

A tear falls onto my cheek. Did I save Luke? But I haven't done anything.

"Every time I saw the hatred in his eyes when he looked at us, I knew that he still hadn't forgiven us for what happened to Victor," Rebecca says. "But even so, he's a good son. He’s never abandoned his family no matter how wrong we've been."

"He doesn't hate you. He loves you both." I squeeze her hands to comfort her.

Rebecca gives me another warm smile, tears streaming down her face.

"I'm so glad that the three of you are finally together. You and Aiden have helped us more than you could imagine, Cassie. You and Aiden are our angels." She pulls me into a tight hug, crying on my shoulder, and I can't help but embrace her too with all my heart.

???

Later in the evening, while Aiden is playing with his grandparents in the living room, Luke and I spend time in the very same bedroom in which we made love for the first time, the one that used to be Victor's.

We cuddle on the bed, staring at the snow falling outside the window.

"Neptune," I whisper, while Luke runs his fingers through my hair, kissing my temple.

He looks at me with a questioning look.

I smile. "Neptune. That's my new album's name. I've decided."

The tenderness in Luke's eyes as he stares at me with love creates butterflies inside my tummy. "Because it's filled with songs about you."

"The songs you wrote when you were pregnant?" Luke brushes his hand across my cheek, pain crossing his expression.

I know that he hates to think about that, because he always regrets that he wasn't there with me during the hardest part of my life.

I wish he knew that it doesn't matter anymore.

I nod. "Yes, the ones I found inside my old guitar's sound hole.

There were so many of them. The lyrics helped me regain my memory too, you know.

They are filled with you. It felt like a dream.

Like an illusion. But it also felt so real.

Like us." Another smile creeps on my lips.

"I still can't believe that I am now lying in your arms."

"I still can't figure out how I deserve you," Luke whispers, still locking his eyes with mine.

I feel tears blurring my vision from the happiness I'm feeling inside.

"I love you," I say. "I loved you, all those years ago. I loved you again, without remembering who you were. And now that I remember everything, I love you even more."

Luke brushes his lips against mine before hovering on top of me. Our kiss is slow and passionate, filled with so many emotions.

When we pull away, I see those beautiful hazel eyes staring back at me. I'm drowning again in them, drowning in his love.

"I love you so fucking much, Cassie," he rasps. "You're my everything."

And with that said, he captures my lips again in a tantalizing kiss.