The next few days blurred together in a haze of forced normalcy.
Sienna went back to work, sitting stiffly at her desk, trying to act like nothing had happened. Cassian, too, moved through the motions, but the tension between them hung thick and heavy—a noose around both their necks.
Cassian checked on her obsessively. Every thirty minutes, like clockwork, he'd swing by her desk or text her.
"You okay?"
"Need anything?"
"You sure you're alright?"
By noon, Sienna was grinding her teeth.
When he stopped by yet again, she snapped softly, "Cassian, you're suffocating me."
Cassian flinched like she'd slapped him but nodded and backed away, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides.
She hated how relieved she felt at the space. Hated even more how much she missed him the second he pulled away.
The afternoon dragged until the receptionist's panicked voice crackled through the office intercom.
"Cassian—" she hissed, half-shouting. "There's a woman—she's in the lobby—she's shouting she's your girlfriend—"
Sienna stiffened, ice flooding her veins.
Before anyone could react, distant echoes of screaming reached them even through the thick glass walls.
"I'm Cassian's girlfriend!" the voice shrieked. "Get him down here!"
Every head in the office turned toward the door.
Cassian stood frozen for a split second before his body moved, stiff and furious.
"Stay here," he muttered sharply to Sienna before storming toward the lobby.
Sienna didn't answer. She pressed herself tighter into the corner of her desk, heart hammering painfully, watching helplessly as Cassian disappeared through the glass doors toward the chaos.
She could feel everyone's eyes on her, like invisible hands pulling at her skin.
Letty slipped over and quietly offered her hand. Without thinking, Sienna took it, and together they crept closer to peek through the glass partition.
Nicole was in the middle of the lobby, flailing dramatically, her voice echoing off the walls.
"Why don't you want me here?" Nicole screamed at Cassian. "I'm pregnant with your child! Is your little hoe here too?"
Sienna's blood boiled instantly, anger snapping through the fear weighing her down. Letty gripped her wrist tightly, grounding her.
"Don't, Sienna," Letty whispered urgently. "Stay here."
Cassian, to his credit, didn't engage. Instead, he stepped back and called sharply for security.
Two security guards rushed forward, grabbing Nicole as she fought and shrieked.
"You can't do this to me! I'm carrying your baby!"
They dragged her out kicking and screaming, her voice fading into the parking lot.
The lobby fell into a stunned, horrified silence.
Cassian returned a moment later, his eyes immediately searching for Sienna.
But the damage was already done.
Sienna sat frozen by her desk, her fists clenched, her face pale with fury and humiliation.
And already, she could hear it—the whispers starting to spread like wildfire.
Something inside her snapped. Sienna stood up abruptly, grabbing her things with jerky, frantic movements.
Cassian rushed over, his hand reaching for her arm, but she swatted him away, shaking her head sharply. She didn't want to cause more scenes—not here—so she let him silently help gather her things.
They walked out of the building together, a hundred burning eyes following them, the whispers growing louder with every step.
Once they were inside Cassian's car, Sienna broke.
She pressed her hands over her face, sobbing into her palms, the humiliation and heartbreak spilling out uncontrollably.
Cassian gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles white, helpless.
"I'm sorry," he whispered brokenly, again and again, the words barely audible over the sound of her crying.
Minutes passed in silence except for her ragged breaths. Finally, Sienna wiped her face with the sleeve of her sweater, staring numbly out the windshield.
"I don't know if I can keep doing this," she said hoarsely, her voice so raw it barely carried.
Cassian turned toward her, his face crumbling. "Please, Sienna," he rasped. "Please don't give up on me."
Sienna closed her eyes, swallowing down the ache in her chest.
"I need space," she whispered. "I just—I can't breathe right now."
Cassian's hands dropped from the steering wheel, resting limp in his lap. "Anything you need," he said quietly. "I'll give you anything. Just... please don't walk away forever."
For the first time since Nicole's screaming shattered the office, Sienna looked at him—really looked at him—and saw the broken boy she fell in love with.
But love wasn't a bandage big enough to cover the bleeding anymore.