Chapter 167

It was obviously a candid shot—taken at the Lexford University library.

Cassandra, dressed in the school’s crisp uniform, was dozing off on a study table. The curtains fluttered with the breeze, sunlight falling lightly over her like a gentle spotlight. In sleep, all the sharp edges melted away from her face, making her look like some ethereal being…

calm, soft, unreal.

He’s falling for her, isn’t he?

Mara clenched the picture in her hand, knuckles going white. For a second, she seriously considered tearing it to shreds or even burning it to nothing.

But she couldn’t.

She couldn’t risk confronting him and hearing something like: “I want to be with her. You’ve always just been a sister to me.” Their relationship wasn’t even in the open—it was still a secret, protected by the thin veil of a fake sibling bond.

She couldn’t afford to gamble on that.

And honestly, she didn’t believe Ethan would ever fall for Cassandra. Not after what he did