Forbidden Desire

Chapter 3 – A Child But Not A Child

“Er…” Olivia, Cassie's mother, found herself at a loss for words, her gaze shifting to Evan.

Cassie felt as though the entire world had come to a standstill, only to realize that it was her own heart that had ceased beating. ‘

‘Say no, Mom,’ she pleaded with her mother, but only in her mind. The thought of Chloe and Nathan exchanging vows shattered her heart into a million pieces.

“Umm…” Olivia breathed, looking at Nathan. “What can I say? You and Chloe… are brother and sister.”

‘Exactly!’ Cassie’s eyes widened with hope, agreeing with her mother silently. She could feel her heart suddenly beating... living.

Olivia stepped toward Nathan and grabbed his hands, smiling gently. “But like I said the day your brother and I married, if the time comes you and Chloe decide to settle down, who am I to stop you? I already stole that moment from you.”

Evan chuckled, folding his arms. “You sounded like guilty in marrying me.”

“Oh, please,” Olivia glanced over her shoulder and glared at her husband, causing him to laugh hard. She turned her head to Nathan and nodded. “You have my blessing, Nathan.”

“Yes!” Nathan muttered happily and glanced at his brother.

“Of course, my Chloe will say yes to you,” Olivia said confidently. Her brows knitted as she continued, “But why are you in a hurry, Nathan? Is there a problem?”

“Nothing really… but I intend to leave next week and stay in the US; this time, I have no idea how long I will be there. I… I can’t stay another year away from Chloe,” he explained.

“Hmp!” Cassie curled her lips, lifting her brows and masking the excruciating pain she felt in her chest. “That’s it?” She rolled her eyes and scoffed, throwing her hands in the air as she turned her back on him. “I thought you discovered something significant.”

“Hey!” Nathan chuckled and grabbed her wrist, stopping Cassie from leaving. “This is significant.”

Cassie turned around, wrinkling her nose as she shook her head. “For you, maybe. But for me? Nah! I’m expecting this already because you’ve been together long. What’s significant is NASA announcing to the world that there is a bus station where we can travel to Mars.” And get lost, she wanted to add it but kept it to herself. Looking at Nathan’s face hurt too much.

A broken heart was a metaphor for her, but not until now. She could not breathe. It was too painful.

“That’s bullshit,” Nathan curled his lips and tilted his head. “This is a small wedding. Be the maid of honor,” he offered.

‘That’s bullshit!’ Cassie muttered in her mind. She shook her head and said, “I can’t.” She raised her index finger immediately when Nathan opened his mouth to talk. “Facts, Nathan. Number one, the bride chooses the maid of honor, not the groom. Number two, I can’t be your best man because I’m a wo -”

Nathan chuckled amusedly, stopping Cassie from talking. “You’re not a woman… yet.” he choked from laughing.

Irked, Cassie removed the towel, letting it fall on the ground. “Yeah, right.”

A loud laugh spread across the area, but it was not from Nathan but his brother. Nathan swallowed hard, looking away as he pursed his lips. A sigh escaped his mouth because Cassie was right. She looked hot at her age.

“You said it’s this week, so... Number three, I can’t go. I have an exam on Friday and Saturday. Sunday? I’m busy,” she pointed out.

Nathan lifted a brow and looked at Olivia. “Where is she studying? Why are you torturing this child?”

“Ha! Ha! Funny!” Cassie sneered and rolled her eyes. “You know I’m in an advanced class, Nathan.”

Her heart pounded erratically when Nathan leaned forward, the tips of their noses almost touching. She pursed her lips, racking her brain with something to attack him.

“I miss the blueberry milkshake at the Orange Café. I heard they're giving discounts. Want to have breakfast there?” Nathan asked.

Cassie forced her lips to curve into a thin smile. “Now that’s good news. I’ll just shower,” she said, turning her back immediately because she could not hold her emotions anymore. Her heart was about to burst inside her chest.

Nathan let go of her wrist and grinned. “Hurry.”

She turned her back on him immediately and left the pool area, hearing Nathan laugh mockingly and say no matter how she changed, she still was a child to him.

“I am not a child!” she snarled, letting the tears welling in her eyes roll down her cheeks.