The next morning, sunlight spilled across the room — soft, golden, and painfully calm.
Lydia lay awake long before dawn, staring at the ceiling, her mind tangled in fragments of last night.
Jaden hadn't come to bed.
His side of the mattress was untouched.
A thousand thoughts flooded her mind, each one sharper than the last. Cassandra's words replayed like a haunting echo.
> "You think you know who he is? You think he loves you?"
Lydia sat up, pressing her palms to her face.
She wanted to believe Jaden — to trust him — but the silence between them was becoming too loud to ignore.
After dressing quietly, she walked down to his office. The door was slightly ajar. Inside, the room smelled faintly of coffee and smoke. His laptop was still open on the desk, the screen glowing softly.
She hesitated for a second… then stepped closer.
Emails. Transactions. Files.
All labeled with strange names — offshore accounts, coded contracts, and something that made her blood run cold:
"Cassian Group – Confidential Asset Report."
Cassian.
Cassandra's surname.
Her pulse quickened as she clicked the folder. A window popped open — password required.
Her stomach twisted. This wasn't the Jaden she knew. The Jaden she loved didn't hide behind encrypted walls.
Or maybe he did.
Suddenly, she heard footsteps from behind.
"Lydia."
His voice froze her in place.
She turned slowly. Jaden stood at the door, dressed in a dark suit, eyes cold and unreadable.
"I thought you were still asleep," he said quietly.
"I couldn't sleep," she replied, trying to steady her breath. "I came down for water, but then I saw your laptop on…"
His gaze drifted to the open screen — the folder still visible. For a split second, something flickered in his eyes — fear? anger? betrayal?
It was gone before she could tell.
He closed the laptop gently. "Some things are better left unseen, Lydia."
Her throat tightened. "Better left unseen? What are you hiding from me, Jaden?"
He took a deep breath, walked toward her, and said in a low, heavy tone,
"I'm protecting you. That's all you need to know."
"That's not an answer," she shot back, her voice trembling.
"It's the only one I can give you right now."
He brushed past her and grabbed his keys. "Don't go through my things again."
And just like that, he was gone.
Lydia stood frozen, her heart pounding with confusion and hurt. The man she once saw as her safe place was now a storm she couldn't read.
But one thing was clear — she couldn't keep waiting for his answers anymore
If Jaden wouldn't tell her the truth, she'd find it herself.