Where the Moon No Longer Shines
Chapter 5
When daylight broke, Cassandra was greeted by an unexpected sight. Cabs lit up across the city with glowing messages on their dome lights: [Cassey baby, go home!]
The words followed her everywhere. Giant screens on buildings displayed the same plea:
[Cassey baby, waiting for you to come home!]
Even the radio broadcasted the desperate announcement:
“Dear Ms. Cassandra, your fiancé Mr. Lawrence is searching for you. Please contact him immediately at 156…”
Cassandra’s lips curled into a bitter smile. The rain poured harder as she trudged back, wondering what Matthew’s reaction would be when her “death” was announced in a few days.
As she approached the house, Matthew burst through the door, his eyes wild with desperation. He grabbed her, pulling her into a bone-crushing embrace.
“Cassey! Cassey…” His voice cracked. “Do you have any idea how worried I was? I thought… I thought you’d been taken, or worse!”
His trembling hands cupped her face as tears streamed down his cheeks. The sight of him, this powerful man reduced to a vulnerable state, would have once broken her heart. Now, it only filled her with emptiness.
Two trembling drivers stood in the living room, their relief palpable at her return. Behind them, two beaten thieves lay bloodied on the floor, moaning in pain. Matthew’s voice turned cold as he promised, “Anyone who dares harm you will face my wrath.”
Cassandra’s hollow laughter filled the room. “What if the person who hurt me… is you?” she whispered under her breath, too soft for him to hear.
Half an hour earlier, Julia had sent her a message, her words venomous:
“Cassandra, it must be hard. Even when Matthew sleeps beside me, he calls out your name.”
Attached was a recording—a damning, explicit proof of their betrayal.
Cassandra didn’t cry. She didn’t scream. Instead, she saved every message, every piece of evidence. One day, these would become the knives she would plunge into Matthew’s heart.
***
Four days remained until the engagement. Cassandra accompanied Matthew to the hospital for a routine check-up. He promised her he wouldn’t leave her side this time. But halfway through, his phone began vibrating incessantly.
“Ignore it,” he said, silencing the call. But the phone continued buzzing. Ten minutes later, the hospital staff grew irritated, forcing him to step outside.
When he returned, his face was grave. Cassandra’s heart was already bracing for another betrayal.
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