14: A Fresh Start (1)
(Cassie’s POV)
Two years had passed, and I had finally rebuilt myself from the ashes of my old life. I didn’t feel the pain of the scars from the the trauma, the pain, the betrayal anymore. When I remembered where I had been I just let out a smile. There were no longer chains holding me back.
Music has always been my solace. It started as just melodies I sang into the void to soothe my shattered heart. So I became an online singer and slowly those songs found their way to millions of listeners online. I wasn‘ t famous in the traditional sense, nor was I rich yet, but I had something far more valuable, happiness.
I had millions of fans all over the world
that were captivated by my music and today marked a milestone in my new life. I was about to step onto a stage for my very first concert. My fans, who had been with
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me through this journey, filled the venue. They had bought tickets for the concert in mass to watch me sing live. I didn’t appear on social media ever since I left but today was the day.
As I was leaving, I pulled out my phone to check the day’s news. I was scrolling through the news when one headline froze me in my tracks.
“Cornell Group Announces New President: Matthew Cornell to Take Over Leadership.”
My breath caught. Matthew? Max’s adopted brother? That didn’t make sensé.
Matthew wasn’t a direct heir, and Max despised him. For Matthew to be taking over meant something had happened to
Max.
Curiosity got the better of me, and my fingers moved almost on their own, searching Max‘ s name. The results filled the screen instantly. The first article hit me like a truck.
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“Maxwell Cornell Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder of Mistress Violet
Hayes.”
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The blood drained from my face. My mind reeled as I read further. The murder had happened just two days after I left. Violet, pregnant with his child, had been brutally beaten to death with a golf stick. Max had been arrested on the spot, his anger
spiraling into an act of irreversible violence.
That was really gruesome.
A chill ran down my spine as I recalled my last days with him the lies, the betrayal, the emptiness in his eyes. I’d escape and divorce him. And now, to know he had descended so far, so fast.
I hadn’t checked what happened to him all this two years because I felt he had finally gotten to live with the woman he wants, Violet and now I found out that Max was
serving a lifetime prisonment for killing
Violet.
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Besides looking at the details I realized that the day of the incident was just two days later I left Max.
I stood there stunned and terrified as I
tried to wrap my head around this. Did they have an argument? I left them to be
together since I felt that was what he wanted. How did it get to this? I looked at the gruesome image of Violet, stunned!
“Hey,” a voice broke through my thoughts, and I jumped, my phone slipping from my hands. Warm arms wrapped around me, grounding me in the present.
“What’s wrong?” Daniel asked, his voice
laced with concern.
I swallowed hard, forcing a smile as I turned to him. “Nothing,” I said softly, leaning in to kiss him. The warmth of his lips steadied me, pulling me back to the life I’d built away from that nightmare.
“You sure?” he asked, his brow furrowed as he studied my face.
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I nodded quickly, snapping my phone shut and slipping it into my bag. “I’m fine,” I lied, reaching for his hand. “We should hurry. The concert’s about to start.”
Daniel smiled, still looking a little unconvinced, but he didn’t push. “Alright, let’s go. Everyone’s waiting for you.”
As we walked back toward the stage, I squeezed his hand, stealing another kiss before stepping into the spotlight. This was my life now a life of music, of love, of healing.
I couldn’t afford to think about Max
anymore. He was a ghost from a past I’d buried. And I wasn‘ t about to let him haunt me again.
Backstage was buzzing with energy as my team hustled around, making final preparations. Daniel stood beside me, holding my hand and looking at me with nothing but pride in his eyes.
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15: A Fresh Start (2)
