Chapter 51

Thomas exhaled softly, his breath warm against the nape of Cassandra’s neck. He leaned forward, resting his chin on her shoulder as the gentle hum of the private jet’s engines thrummed around them. Turning his head, he met her gaze with earnest eyes. “My love, I can’t begin to fathom the weight you’ve carried all these years,” he murmured. “I may never know the darkest corners of your suffering, the moments when you doubted your own worth. But I swear this to you: you’re no longer surrounded by those who wounded you. You’re here, with me. And I will coddle you, spoil you, until all that remains in your memory is joy—until every painful echo fades away. We’ve got an entire lifetime spread out before us, honey. I’ll remind you of your value each and every day.”

Cassandra pressed her hand to her mouth, struggling to steady the tremor in her voice. A single tear escaped and traced down her cheek. She met Thomas’s unwavering gaze and found herself confessing, voice quavering: “I …