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“He drowned. Because of me.”
He laughs, but he’s not laughing at me. He’s frustrated that I’m not on the same page as him. “How do you know that?”
My forehead furrows. “It’s all anyone would talk about that day. After the police came for the body.”
“But what about weeks later, Cass? When the autopsy came back?”
His question catches me off guard. “I don’t understand.”
“I don’t imagine that you do.” Aiden reaches for something in his back pocket and hands it to me.
“What is this?” I say as I open it.
“That’s the forensic report, Cass. Ace didn’t drown.”
“What? Of course he did.” My eyes scan the document, taking in each word.
“No. He didn’t. When you were telling me the story, you said that while you were searching for an escape, you heard a sound, right? A long sniff.”
“Yeah.” I make a face, not following where he’s going with this.
“Cass, Ace died of an overdose. Courtesy of coke with a hot shot of fentanyl.”
“But—”
He shakes his head. “There are no buts. You didn’t kill him. It is not your fault.”
I blink several times, rereading the report. Right there in black and white, it says the cause of death was an overdose. Not drowning.
I swallow, looking up at Aiden. “I didn’t kill him?”
“No, Pip, you didn’t.”
Another sob breaks through my lungs as tears cascade down my face, but this time, they aren’t sadness or guilt.Relief sweeps through me, and I crumple into a mass on Emma’s couch.
The cushions depress next to me, and I know it’s Aiden.
“Look at me, Cass. Please.”
I peek up, hardly able to see him through the river of tears. “I’m such a mess.”
He smiles down at me, pushing a piece of hair out of my face. “Yeah.” He chuckles, and if I had the energy, I’d whip a pillow at his face. “But you’re my mess. And I’m not letting you go.”
I sit up, throwing my arms around him, sobbing into his shoulder.
The pain from my past mixes with the reality that I have a future. One that doesn’t include being accused of murder.
“It’s time to move forward, babe,” Aiden says into my ear. “You and me.”
“But…my drama. The reporter…”
“I’m not going anywhere. Not now. Not ever. It’s us. It’s always been us.” He pulls away, lowering himself down so we’re eye to eye. “I’ll stand by your side until the end. No matter where the road takes us.Now and forever.”
I swallow a lump in my throat. “Now and forever.” I repeat his words, a small smile spreading across my face.
“I love you.”
My entire heart swells at his words. I’ve questioned if he could feel the same way about me, and he’s just admitted he does. All these years I’ve felt alone, like nobody could ever care for me. As though I didn’t deserve love because of what I’d done.
