Burn Me Once, Burn With Me novel Chapter 143

Inside the car, the warm yellow light melded their silhouettes into one, as if they were inseparably fused together.

Cassian stared at them, his gaze fixed and unyielding. Beneath his sleeve, his fingers pressed so tightly into his palm that his knuckles cracked.

A soft footstep to his side finally broke his trance. Cassian blinked, pulling his icy, fathomless stare back from the darkness.

A chill hung around him, so palpable that Gennifer shivered involuntarily.

She rubbed her bare arms, glancing at the cold wind that occasionally rattled against the window. She chalked it up to the late hour.

Still, she tried to muster some enthusiasm, her eyes bright as stars as she turned to Cassian. "Cassian, would you mind giving me a ride home?"

Above her, Cassian's slow, quiet breathing was the only answer. He didn't reply right away.

Something about his silence made Gennifer's heart flutter with unease, but she pressed on, unwilling to give up. "I had a friend drop me off, and he's already left. It's pretty hard to get a cab out here at this hour."

There was a moment of silence before Cassian finally nodded. "Wait here. Bennett will drive you home."

Bennett? So he wasn't coming?

Gennifer's hand, reaching out to grasp Cassian's sleeve, froze midway.

She glanced warily at his cold, impenetrable expression, and in the end, she didn't reach for him at all.

For the first time, Cassian didn't react to her gentle plea, his face utterly impassive.

Gennifer felt a wave of discomfort wash over her. After turning it over in her mind, the only explanation she could find for Cassian's sudden coldness was that he must have seen Ruby getting close to someone else.

The thought soothed her earlier frustration, and in its place, a sly anticipation flickered in her heart.

"Cassian, I know what my sister did was wrong, but please don't be too upset, okay? You two have been apart for over a year—maybe it's understandable… Getting angry will only hurt you, and I'd worry about that."

Her eyes brimmed with concern.

Cassian lowered his gaze and met her gentle, spring-water eyes. For the first time, a strange thought crossed his mind: Why couldn't Ruby look at him like that? Why wasn't it her soft gaze meeting his?

The sudden notion jolted him, his pupils trembling before he forced the feeling down.

Was he losing his mind? Why would he even think such a thing?

Gennifer bit her lip, realizing she had no choice but to leave.

She dropped her gaze, obediently preparing to go.

As she turned, her hand reached automatically for the velvet gift box Bennett held so respectfully.

The soft, luxurious feel of the box reignited a small thrill inside her. The night might not have gone as she'd hoped, but at least she was going home with a piece of jewelry.

If Cassian was willing to spend a fortune just to buy her a necklace, didn't that prove how much he cared?

He was probably just upset about Ruby—nothing more.

With that comforting thought, Gennifer relaxed.

But in the next instant, the sensation was gone.

She looked up, startled. Bennett had pulled the box away, holding it out of her reach.