Burn Me Once, Burn With Me novel Chapter 253

She bit out Cassian’s name, syllable by syllable, the sound sharp between her teeth.

Cassian’s composure faltered; a flicker of something unreadable flashed through his eyes.

Without another word, Ruby strode away, her white dress dissolving into the night. Only the crimson hem, like a flicker of flame, seemed to dance defiantly in the darkness, a silent testament to her unbroken spirit.

Cassian felt a lump in his throat, something heavy and choking. His gaze, shadowed and intense, clung to the sight of Ruby’s furious retreat, while his hand slowly curled into a fist.

A memory, dark and persistent, clawed its way into his mind: Ruby’s grief-stricken face from a year ago. He could almost feel the cold drizzle of that day, a year distant but still echoing through his heart.

Just then, his phone rang. Bennett’s name lit up the screen.

“Mr. Veyne, Miss Gennifer is awake. Also, about reopening the investigation into your wife’s case from last year—should I arrange for a review right away, or...?”

Cassian’s brow twitched at Gennifer’s name. By the time Bennett finished speaking, the temperature in the room seemed to have dropped ten degrees.

He narrowed his eyes, unease prickling beneath his skin.

Ruby’s reactions, all of them, made the events of last year feel even more tangled and uncertain. He’d never truly dismissed his doubts. In fact—

Cassian swallowed, his heartbeat steadying, a chill settling in his chest. His hand clenched tighter, knuckles whitening.

The possibility—barely spoken—gnawed at him. Ruby’s anger was nothing compared to the fear that he might have been wrong all along.

If he had really misjudged her a year ago...

He couldn’t bear to finish the thought.

Staggering back a few steps, Cassian sank onto the sofa, his body collapsing against the soft cushions. He’d tried to investigate Ruby’s life during the past year, but her trail was deliberately obscured. Still, he’d managed to catch glimpses of the miserable conditions she’d endured in prison, how easy it had been for others to bully her.

A wave of dread swept through him.

If Ruby was innocent, if he had been the one to send her to that hell, then he was nothing but a monster.

“Mr. Veyne? Mr. Veyne?”

Bennett’s voice came through again, anxious after the long silence. Cassian’s phone screen still showed the call was active, and in the background Gennifer could be heard sobbing uncontrollably.

“No.”

Cassian’s grip on the phone tightened, his fingers bloodless.

His lips pressed into a hard line, as if he were making some irrevocable decision. “There’s no need to investigate.”

Bennett was caught off guard, stunned into silence, unsure if he’d heard right.

Cassian’s voice came again, cold and distant: “It’s just for the press. There was never any real truth to dig up from last year. A mistake is a mistake.”

She’d promised herself, ever since being released from prison, never to hope again. But the smallest shift in Cassian’s demeanor, and she was right back where she started—clinging to the same, foolish hope.

Ruby gritted her teeth, pounding her fist softly against her chest, punishing herself for letting her guard down.

“Waa—waa—”

Mira, lying on the bed, began to wail, restless and upset.

Ruby’s heart twisted. She scooped Mira into her arms, rocking her gently. The little girl’s sobs subsided, her big round eyes looking up at Ruby with silent reproach.

Ruby guessed her earlier outburst had frightened Mira and quickly softened her voice, whispering, “It’s okay, Mira, sweetheart…”

But Mira, unlike before, didn’t calm down right away. Her chubby little hand reached out and pressed gently against Ruby’s heart, as if she could sense her mother’s pain.

Ruby froze, her nose stinging with tears.

She’d felt so alone in Quinborough, always struggling to survive, convinced she had no one in the world. But now, with Mira in her arms, she finally had somewhere she belonged.

Holding Mira close, breathing in the baby’s sweet scent, Ruby felt herself begin to settle, her anxiety slowly ebbing away.

Sensing her mother’s calm, Mira beamed up at her.

Ruby shifted to lay Mira down on the bed, but as she moved, her phone buzzed in her pocket.