Page 39 of A Sinful Gravity

She studied the invitation details, then tucked it in her bag. "Luna, you know what? You're literally glowing now."

"That bastard Cassian. He deserves his miserable life."

The name made the air freeze. My fingers trembled, but I casually picked up my water glass.

"What?"

I felt Chloe's gaze flicker. She chose her words carefully.

"After you left, he locked himself in his apartment drinking. Didn't even go to work." Chloe leaned forward slightly.

"Him? A workaholic skipping work?" I sounded indifferent, like discussing a stranger.

Seeing my calm, Chloe relaxed, her voice rising. "Right? The idiot was drowning in regret but too cowardly to face himself, so he just pickled himself in booze. If I wasn't worried about my family's company tanking, I wouldn't have bothered going over there to yell some sense into him." Chloe huffed.

"That secretary, what was her name... Sloane! Yeah, after her true colors came out, Cassian blacklisted her across the industry. She almost went to prison. After that mess, he barely spoke to women for six years—serves him right!"

I felt a flicker of surprise. Didn't expect Cassian to destroy Sloane so thoroughly.

But if I faced that kind of provocation now, I'd probably slap back instead of running away.

At that thought, I smiled faintly, but something knocked gently against my chest. It didn't hurt—just a dull ache.

I didn't care about Cassian anymore. The past was just a thorn. It didn't bleed now, but that didn't mean the scar was gone.

"Mommy!" Laila had finished eating and suddenly jumped from her chair. "I want to play ball outside!"

"Go ahead, but stay close." I looked toward the courtyard. "Right over there, where I can see you."

Laila nodded, grabbed her pink ball from my bag, and ran off happily. The courtyard was small, bordered by low hedges, sunlight perfect. No worry about her wandering off.

Chloe watched her go. "You've raised her so well."

"Yeah. She's pretty much my everything."

"Is it hard?"

"Hard," I admitted. "But worth it."

I sipped my coffee. "You know, Chloe, I've always wanted a real home. Laila gave me that feeling for the first time."

Chloe started to say something, swallowed it, and nodded. She looked at Laila, her voice softer. "Does Laila ever... wonder about her father?"

I sighed. "Of course. She's asked a few times. I told her he's doing classified work."

Chloe looked thoughtful. "But that white lie won't last many more years."

"I know." I leaned back in my chair. "But I can't lose Laila. I'm afraid... he'd take her away. You know that would kill me."

"So you're never going to tell Cassian?" Chloe pressed her lips together, looking at me.

The question made my nerves snap tight. "No. Laila has me, that's enough. And I'm not sure he'd be a good father. I can't take that risk... Don't tell him."

Chloe sighed. "Okay. I'll do what you want. I won't say anything."

"Mommy!"

Laila's voice rang from the courtyard. I looked over—the ball had rolled near another private booth.