I Don't Love You Like I Did Yesterday

Cassian Montclair kept me in his bed for three days and three nights, indulging in every forbidden pleasure without restraint. And then, he brought his first love back home.

He made me stand by the door and keep watch for them.

“Don’t let Mom and Dad know she’s here, okay, Liv?” he had whispered, his tone gentle, as if he were making some harmless request rather than humiliating me.

For seven days, I stood downstairs, listening to them making love, their passionate whispers and moans piercing my heart like a thousand blades.

After a week, he finally sent her away and, as if nothing had happened, pulled me into his arms.

“My sweet little Pixie you’ve been so good. Once I marry Sloane I’ll make it up to you with a wedding of your own, okay?”

I nodded like the docile fool I was, pretending I believed him. But on the day of Cassian’s engagement, I was getting married too—just not with him. As the Montclair’s adopted daughter, I was being sent to Langston Hill in an alliance marriage.

From then on, Cassian and I would have nothing left between us. We would never have to see each other again.

***

I heard he had returned from his business trip early. The moment I found out, I couldn’t contain my excitement. I threw on a coat and rushed downstairs.

The night was quiet and delicate snowflakes drifted down from the sky. I couldn’t help but think back to ten days ago when he had held me tight, drunk and insatiable, whispering sweet lies as he devoured me. As the icy wind seeped through my collar, I pulled my coat tighter around me, my heart filled with anticipation.

That night, he had turned off the heating, deliberately trapping me in his arms, making love to me until I was sore and exhausted. My body still bore the marks he left behind. 

The familiar black Maybach glided into the driveway, its headlights slicing through the darkness. My heart pounded as I took a step forward, waiting for him to emerge.

The driver’s door opened. A tall, familiar silhouette stepped out. Just as I was about to call his name, he turned—not toward me, but toward the passenger side.

The door swung open and a delicate, manicured hand reached out. Cassian grasped it without hesitation, helping a woman out of the car. Through the frosted window, I caught a glimpse of her. Slender, poised, with striking features that were impossible to forget.

She murmured something to him and he laughed softly before lifting her into his arms as if she weighed nothing at all.

“Always so dramatic,” he teased, his tone indulgent. Then he leaned in and kissed her deeply.

My body went rigid. My stomach twisted violently, my chest tightening as if something had been ripped out of me. The excitement I had felt only moments ago was crushed beneath the weight of reality.

By the time they reached the front steps, I was still frozen in place.

“Liv?” Cassian's gaze finally landed on me. “What are you doing out here? It’s freezing,” he frowned slightly when he noticed my thin coat, his tone carrying the same warmth and concern he always used with me.

The woman in his arms blushed, suddenly self-conscious in front of a stranger.

She struggled to free herself from his embrace and gave me a quick once-over before speaking in a cool, detached tone. “Cassian,” she murmured, “who is this?”

Cassian immediately wrapped an arm around her waist, his entire demeanor softening as he soothed her. He was so gentle with her, so careful—so different from the way he had always been with me.

“She’s the girl I told you about,” he said lightly. “Livia Montclairs, my little sister. My family took her in a few years ago.”

A flicker of disdain crossed her face.

“Oh, so you’re maid’s granddaughter?”

I said nothing. I simply stared at Cassian, hoping—foolishly—that he would look at me, acknowledge me. But he didn’t spare me a single glance.

His attention was entirely on her.

I knew who the girl was. She is Sloane Everleigh.

She was the center of Cassian’s entire high school, the first love he had never let go of.

The Montclairs was very strict with their rules. When Mrs. Montclair discovered their relationship, she had the Everleigh sent her overseas, cutting off Cassian’s only weakness.

After that, he changed. The once rebellious, carefree boy became disciplined and composed, devoting himself to his studies to prove himself worthy of taking over the family business.

But I knew that his defiance never truly disappeared.

That’s why I had always covered for him, sneaking out with him, helping him get away with his reckless antics and even taking the blame when things went too far.