Chapter 5
"Vesper, are you bringing Cassian home for dinner this weekend?"
Her mom's familiar voice came through the phone, tinged with hope.
"I made your favorite broth and ribs. Your dad says it's been ages since he last saw you," her mom said.
Vesper gripped her phone, her throat tight.
"Mom..." she said.
"What's wrong?" her mom asked.
"It's nothing," Vesper said, steadying herself as she fought back the surge of emotion. "We'll come home this weekend."
The call ended.
She stood there in the wind for a long time.
That weekend, Cassian said he had something urgent with his team and had to head out for work.
"Next time, I'll go with you to visit your family," he promised.
Vesper looked straight into his eyes.
He didn't seem to notice anything at all.
All those moments of distance, the fights, the nights when she wanted to say something but swallowed her words, the hours she spent crying alone before dawn.
In his eyes, it was probably just her being dramatic.
He probably thought this was just like every other time.
She'd sulk for a few days, he'd buy her a purse, she'd sleep it off, and everything would go back to normal.
Vesper nodded.
She thought that it was just as well not to go back.
So that her parents wouldn't notice anything wrong and worry about her.
The Sterne family lived in an old apartment complex on the east side of the city, a neat and spotless three-bedroom place.
In the living room, a photo of the three of them grinned happily from the shelf.
Vesper pushed open the familiar security door by herself.
As soon as she stepped inside, the rich aroma of broth hit her from the kitchen.
Her mom, wearing that old, faded floral apron, poked her head out with a big smile.
"Vesper, you're home! Go wash your hands, the soup's just done, and it's still steaming."
Her dad was sitting on the old sofa, reading the newspaper with his reading glasses on.
When he saw her come in, he quickly took off his glasses and rubbed his hands together, looking a little awkward. "Why are you alone? Where's Cassian?"
Vesper paused as she slipped off her shoes, her back tensing for a moment before she forced herself to relax.
"Dad, Mom," she said, turning around and doing her best to sound cheerful.
"Cassian had to head out for an urgent shift.
"You know how it is with the traffic police, weekends are a nightmare, and with all the new crackdowns, he really doesn't have much say in it," she added.
When her dad heard "traffic police," the confusion in his eyes quickly turned into understanding, and even a touch of respect.
He sighed, put his glasses back on, and said, "Yeah, that's just how the job goes. The busier the holiday, the more work there is. It's fine, work comes first. Let him do what he needs to."
Her mom brought out a plate of sliced fruit from the kitchen, chiming in, "Exactly, Vesper. Don't blame him.
"You told me last time he'd been working overtime for two weeks straight and was looking thinner."
"It's good for young people to be ambitious. Don't worry about us, your dad and I are doing just fine," her mom added.
Vesper watched her parents, their unwavering trust and support making her chest tighten with a sour ache.
They had no clue that the son-in-law they always praised hadn't even come home to their room last night.
And they were even further from knowing that, as she sat here, she was quietly planning how to walk away from this marriage with her pride intact.
"Yeah, I know," Vesper murmured, lowering her head as she took the apple from her mom, her fingers barely steady.
"He...he's been working really hard." she added.
Lunch was especially quiet.
Her parents kept loading her plate with food, chattering on about the usual family stuff.
Vesper responded half-heartedly, and with every nod, it felt like another stone was pressing down on her heart.
At three in the afternoon, the doorbell finally rang.
Her mom wiped her hands and went to open the door, and there stood Cassian.
He'd changed out of his uniform into a deep gray sweater, looking calm and upright.
He was carrying several bags filled with expensive treats and the coffee her dad loved most.
"Sorry, I'm late. My shift just ended, so I rushed right over," Cassian said, wearing a flawless smile, his gaze clear and his tone earnest.
"Got stuck in traffic, hope I didn't keep you waiting," he added.
"Oh, you didn't have to bring all this stuff!"
Vesper's mom said, but she was already taking the bags from him, her smile growing even brighter.
"Come on in, come on in. Vesper was just talking about you," she invited.
Cassian stepped into the living room, his eyes naturally landing on Vesper.
In that moment, Vesper clearly saw a flash of relief in his gaze.
To him, this minor "absence crisis" was now perfectly handled.
With a few boxes of expensive treats and a perfect smile, he'd made up for missing the morning.
He could keep his spotless reputation with her parents intact and soothe any of Vesper's possible emotional flare-ups.
"Are you tired?" Vesper asked softly, her voice so calm it almost scared her.
"Not at all. Seeing you all makes me forget the exhaustion," Cassian replied, sitting down beside her and taking her hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
His palm was warm, almost scalding. To Vesper, it felt like a branding iron, leaving a mark she couldn't ignore.