Chapter 4
A week ago, I went to look for Casper, but he was busy hanging out with Sasha. As I hurried out, Sasha cried so hard that she passed out.
Right then, he overheard people whispering about someone getting hit by a car. But he was too focused on Sasha to turn around and check if it was me. Casper shook his head, struggling to process it. Would things have been different if he’d just glanced back?
It finally came together in his mind. That explained why I was in the hospital, too, and why I’d seemed so weak. But he still couldn’t understand why I hadn’t said a word to him about it.
Casper’s father, Michael Hale, and Alyssa walked into the room unannounced.
The second Alyssa spotted Sasha standing behind Casper, rage flashed through her. She marched straight up to Sasha and slapped her hard across the face.
The slap from a stranger shattered Sasha’s fragile act. Without thinking, she raised her hand to strike back.
But before she could, Michael grabbed her wrist from behind Alyssa. The cold, unfeeling look in his eyes paralyzed her.
Seeing her chance, Alyssa struck her again, snarling, “You shameless hussy! How dare you throw yourself at Casper?”
Casper moved to step in, but Alyssa rounded on him next, slapping him too. “And you! How could you embarrass us like this? Do you want to drag the Hale family’s name through the mud?”
Sasha lost it when she saw Alyssa strike Casper. She lunged at Alyssa, but Casper caught her arm.
“What the hell are you doing?” he demanded.
As they struggled, the anklet tumbled from Sasha’s pocket and landed on the floor. Casper’s gaze locked onto the anklet, and everything suddenly made
sense.
His voice suddenly rose. “Why do you have this? What did you say to Lisette?”
Sasha recoiled at his tone, her expression instantly transforming into tearful innocence. “I didn’t say anything.”
“What? Lis was already here?”
Alyssa had suspected something was off with Casper since her visit. She’d done some investigating and discovered Sasha’s involvement.
She thought dealing with Sasha before I learned the truth would fix everything. It never occurred to her that I already knew.
“Where’s Lis?” Alyssa asked, sounding worried that I might do something reckless.
“She left,” Casper muttered, rubbing his temples in irritation.
“Then, what are you still doing here? Go after her!” Michael barked, his frustration boiling over.
Casper hesitated, caught between chasing after me and staying. He knew Michael and Alyssa wouldn’t go easy on Sasha if he walked away now.
