Chapter 132: Guilt and Longing
Sebastian~
I stared at her, unconscious and pale against my navy blue sheets, and for the first time in centuries, I felt my age.
The chaos from earlier still echoed in the room—splintered wood from the stake embedded in the wall, claw marks on the dresser, a torn lamp shade dangling awkwardly to one side like it had survived a drunken party. And in the middle of it all, there she was—Cassandra.
I had carried her to my bed like something precious and breakable, her weight far too light in my arms. The mattress dipped slightly beneath her, her face relaxed now, no longer twisted in the agonized frenzy that had possessed her. I brushed a lock of her soft hair from her face, letting my fingers graze the soft curve of her cheek.
"You really know how to make a man go crazy," I muttered, offering a dry smile she couldn’t see.
She didn’t stir.
With a sigh, I stood, stretching out my limbs as the ache of tension settled in. My mind felt like someone had rung a bell inside it and forgotten to stop. I needed a distraction—something to keep me from completely unraveling.
Her duffle bag sat innocently near the closet.
I hesitated. Then crouched down, unzipped it slowly like it might bite me. Inside, I found—
My shirt. One of my favorite ones too. A black button-up with subtle silver threading. I chuckled bitterly, holding it up to my nose and catching the faintest whiff of her scent mixed with mine. Beneath that, neatly folded bills wrapped in a rubber band, a burner phone, and fake travel documents. Her pretty face stared back at me from the passport, next to a laughably fake name: Daniella Bloodsworth. Really? Who gives themselves such a terrible name?
"She was really planning to run far," I murmured to myself. "Of course she was."