Sunlight crawled across Savannah's bedroom floor, stretching toward the untouched coffee on her nightstand. Bitter steam had long since faded, leaving only the cold reminder of another sleepless night. Eyes heavy, mind racing, she sat up, pushing hair from her face. Thoughts looped like a broken record, Cassian's tattoo, his evasive answers, the warning note tucked inside that envelope, and Eli's strange words.
Her phone buzzed against the glass. Cassian's name filled the screen, the sight of it sending a tremor through her chest. She stared at it for a second too long before finally answering.
"Savannah…" His voice was cautious, like he already knew how frayed she felt. "You didn't respond to my text last night. Are you okay?"
"I don't know," she admitted, voice raw with exhaustion. "I'm not sure what to think right now."
A breath on the other end. "Please. Let me explain. Just meet me. I'll come to you, or wherever you want."
Her heart wanted to say no, but curiosity and hope won the war. "There's a little café on Clover Street. The one with the red awning. Noon."
"I'll be there," he promised, and for a second, it almost felt like the man she'd fallen for was still within reach.
Clover Street bustled with late-morning energy. Cars rolled by. Pedestrians sipped lattes, talking on Bluetooth earpieces. She reached the café first, settling at an outdoor table beneath the red awning. A breeze teased loose strands of her hair as she waited, watching every figure that passed.
Cassian arrived minutes later, dressed down for once, dark jeans, black t-shirt beneath a leather jacket. His eyes softened when they met hers, but she noticed the tension in his jaw, the tightness in his shoulders.
"Thanks for coming," he said, sliding into the chair across from her.
"Figured I owed myself some answers," she replied, crossing her arms.
A waitress appeared, but they waved her off. Neither was here for coffee.
Cassian exhaled, resting his forearms on the table, leaning closer. "I'm sorry. For everything. I hate that it's come to this, that I've made you feel like you're in the dark."
"Then bring me into the light," Savannah said quietly. "Start talking."
His gaze darted down the street as if searching for invisible threats. "There are powerful people who don't want me seen with you. People who wouldn't think twice about hurting you to send a message."
Savannah blinked. "That's it? That's the big secret?"
"It's all I can say." His voice dropped lower. "Please trust me on this."
Her throat tightened. "You said you'd explain. That doesn't explain anything. Who are these people, Cassian? Why are they watching? Why do they care who you're with?"
"I can't tell you more. It's not safe, for you or for me." His hand reached for hers across the table, but she didn't move.
"So I'm supposed to just walk away? Pretend none of this is happening?" Her voice wavered between anger and heartbreak.
"I'm asking you to stay out of it. For your safety." His eyes burned with sincerity, but it wasn't enough. Not anymore.
Savannah's heart pounded. "You're asking for a lot, Cassian. You're asking me to stop questioning, stop thinking. I can't do that."
A flash of something unreadable crossed his face. "You have to. Please, Savannah. Just leave it alone."
Her lips parted to argue, but another thought rushed out instead. "I met Eli. He said he knew you. Said you belong to some secret order. Is that true?"
Cassian froze for a heartbeat, then shook his head firmly. "No. That's not true. Eli, he's wrong, or lying. I don't know what he told you, but it isn't true. I am not part of some secret society, Savannah."
"Then what's the tattoo on your shoulder?" she pressed, searching his face for cracks.
"It's just a mark from a stupid choice when I was younger. Nothing more."
"Bullshit," she whispered, but forced herself to nod, pretending to accept it…for now.
A muscle ticked in his jaw. "Please stop digging. The pictures, the stalkers, it's all been handled. There's nothing for you to worry about anymore."
"Handled how?" she asked, voice sharp.
"It doesn't matter. It's done." His hand found hers this time, fingers warm, firm. "I swear, I'm keeping you safe."
Every instinct screamed at her not to believe him. But she wanted to, she really wanted to. Maybe because she couldn't bear the thought of losing what they had, or maybe because some part of her still believed in the man she saw in quiet moments, the one who held her close at night, who kissed her like she was the only thing that mattered.
So she forced a smile. "Okay, Cassian. If you say so."
Relief flickered in his eyes, but something darker lingered beneath. "Thank you."
The conversation shifted, awkwardly at first, as they tried to talk about safer things, work, a new restaurant that opened downtown, a charity gala she'd been invited to. But the tension never truly lifted. Beneath every word, Savannah felt the weight of what hadn't been said.
When they parted, Cassian kissed her hand, lingering like he didn't want to let go. "Dinner soon?" he asked softly.
She hesitated, then nodded. "We'll see."
He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. Then he was gone, swallowed by the city.
Back at her office, Savannah sank into her chair, staring at the city beyond the glass. Thoughts tumbled over each other, tangled and messy. She couldn't let this go. No matter what Cassian said, she couldn't stop. Someone had been watching them. Someone had sent those photos. Someone wanted her to be afraid.
Her phone buzzed with an email alert, but when she opened the app, the screen froze. She frowned, tried again, but it glitched, closing on its own. She moved to check her messages, same thing. Frozen, unresponsive.
Anxiety clawed at her ribs. Someone was interfering. Someone didn't want her seeing or sending anything.
She tried not to panic, powering down her phone, restarting it, but it didn't help. And as the afternoon wore on, she felt eyes on her, imagined or not, she didn't know anymore.
Night fell heavy. Back home, she curled on the couch, mind replaying every detail. Cassian's face when she mentioned Eli, the strange stiffness in his voice, the cold finality of his warnings. She stared at the ceiling, exhaustion pulling at her, but sleep refusing to come.
She wouldn't stop. Couldn't stop. Not until she had the truth. Because no matter how much she wanted to believe him, too many pieces didn't fit.
The game had changed. And Savannah wasn't backing down.