Chapter 4

"A fake divorce?" I echoed her words, my tone flat. "Talia, did you get something wrong? My divorce from Cassian isn't some act. It's the real deal."

Talia's face went ghostly pale. "What did you just say?" she stammered, her voice trembling.

"I said, Cassian and I are officially divorced," I drawled, slow and deliberate. "The divorce certificate is in my hands. Legally, we're no longer connected. So, Talia, you can go ahead and pursue your Cassian without any guilt weighing you down."

Talia was clearly caught off guard. She just stood there, stunned, unable to say a word.

Draven, watching from the sidelines, caught everything. When Talia realized the divorce was for real, there wasn't a hint of guilt or sympathy, just a flash of smug satisfaction she couldn't hide.

Seeing that, Draven found himself liking her even less after that.

"What's wrong, Talia? Not thrilled?" I asked deliberately. "Cassian's officially single now, so you two can be together out in the open. Isn't this exactly what you were hoping for?"

"I... I didn't," Talia stammered, waving her hands in panic. "There's nothing going on between me and Cassian. We're innocent."

"Innocent?" I shot back, my tone mocking. "Seriously, Talia, it's the modern age. What's so shocking about a guy and a girl spending time together? You're both single now. If you end up dating, that's perfectly normal."

Talia's face flushed bright red, clearly flustered and at a loss for words.

She probably thought I'd break down and beg her to leave Cassian alone, so Talia could act all self-sacrificing and make a show of backing off, just to look noble.

But my attitude totally threw her off.

"But there's one thing I'm really curious about," I continued. "Talia, you said some lowlifes have been bothering you. Is that for real?"

Talia stiffened, her eyes darting nervously. "Of course it's true."

"So, did you go to the police about it?" I pressed.

"Report it?" Talia repeated, looking genuinely confused.

"Yeah, if someone's harassing you, you should go to the police," I said, putting on my most innocent face. "That's what the authorities are for. Why would you drag Cassian into this? He's military. This isn't his job."

Talia's face turned even paler. "I... I'm scared they'll retaliate."

"Scared of retaliation?" I feigned surprise. "Then all the more reason to get proper protection. Talia, don't tell me you're not reporting it because those thugs have some kind of connections or special status?"

As soon as I said that, Talia's face went ghostly pale.

Seeing her expression, I knew I'd guessed right.

Back in my previous life, I'd looked into Talia's whole story and found out her "thugs harassing me" act was nothing but a lie she cooked up. She wasn't some sent-down youth at all. She was actually the secret daughter of a bigwig, and she had her own agenda here.

"I... I didn't." Talia's voice was shaking, barely more than a whisper.

"No need to be nervous, Talia," I said gently. "Just making conversation. Anyway, since you and Cassian have sorted things out, guess I'll be heading out then."

With that, I turned to Draven. "Hey Draven, let's head out tomorrow."

"Sure," Draven answered, then shot Talia a glance. "If there's nothing else, we'll get out of your hair."

Talia clearly wanted to say something, but she just stood there, lost for words. I'd totally thrown her off her game, and now she had no idea what to do next.

Just then, the door to the guesthouse swung open, and Cassian strode in.

Cassian glanced at me first, then his gaze landed on Talia, his brows knitting together. "Talia, what are you doing here?"

"Cassian, I..." Talia's eyes welled up with tears the moment she saw him. "I came to apologize to Larissa, but she said you two are really divorced. It's all my fault, it's because of me."

Cassian's face darkened at her words. He turned to me, his eyes blazing with anger. "Larissa, why did you tell her that?"

"Why can't I tell her?" I shot back. "Cassian, were you planning to keep this from her?"

"I..." Cassian opened his mouth, but couldn't get a word out.

"Besides, isn't this a good thing?" I continued. "You're both single now, so you can be together openly. Talia's such an outstanding girl. Why not seize the chance?"

Talia started crying even harder. "No, that's not it. Cassian, I never wanted to come between you and your family. I just wanted you to protect me, and once things settle down, I'll leave."

"Protect you?" I scoffed. "Talia, what makes you think a military man like Cassian should protect just a sent-down youth like you? What's really going on between you two?"

As soon as I said that, the room went dead silent.

Cassian's face went dark, and Talia stopped crying, both of them giving me these complicated stares.

I knew I'd hit the nail on the head.

Back in my previous life, I just played along with their little show, never even tried to figure out what was really going on. But this time, I was digging up every dirty secret they'd got.