Where Soft Light Shines Darkness Fades From Tired Hearts by Evan Holt Crane 491

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The Heartbroken Luna’s Choice: Banish Love

Finished

Third Person’s POV

Cassian strode out of the private elevator and stopped right beside Trista, his voice carrying an urgency he lidn’t even realize was there. “Why didn’t you text me? I would’ve come down to get you.”

Trista remained composed, her expression a mask of polite detachment. “Are you done with work?”

Cassian nodded.

His eyes flickered down to her feet and noticed one of her combat boot laces had come undone.

Without a word, the high–and–mighty Alpha naturally dropped to one knee. In front of everyone in the obby, his long fingers caught the laces and began tying them with focused intensity.

Employees passing through the lobby cast shocked, envious glances; a few even snuck photos with their phones.

Trista stood perfectly still, looking down at the side of Cassian’s face.

Slowly, the image began to blur into a different, cruel memory from her past life–one where Cassian had knelt just like this in front of Samantha, tenderly helping her try on a pair of custom heels.

A wave of physical nausea hit her. Trista jerked her foot back as if she’d been shocked.

Cassian froze. He looked up at her, his brow furrowing slightly. “What’s wrong?”

‘I wouldn’t want to trouble you with something so small, Alpha Cassian. I can do it,” Trista said, stepping back. She crouched down and quickly pulled the laces into a tight double knot.

Cassian stood up slowly, his dark eyes tracking her every move.

The layer of practiced tenderness in his gaze was starting to crack, replaced by a wary, panicked caution.

They left the office and headed to a high–end French restaurant Trista had booked.

To avoid the crowd, she had chosen a quiet, secluded booth in the corner.

‘Dinner’s on me tonight. Order whatever you want, don’t hold back,” Trista said, sliding the menu toward

him.

Cassian didn’t look at it. He told her in a low voice that he had a black–gold card for the place.

When the restaurant opened, the owner had pulled out all the stops to get a membership card with a million–dollar balance into his hands.

Cassian ordered two signature steaks and, out of habit, added the dessert she used to love most: a matcha

truffle

Once the waiter served the meal and retreated, Cassian carefully cut the steak into perfect, bite–sized pieces before elegantly swapping his plate with hers.

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Seeing Trista quietly eating, Cassian couldn’t hold back any longer. His eyes were filled with a clear, searching look. “What brought on the sudden urge to take me out to dinner?”

Trista speared a piece of beef. “I was hungry. Let’s eat first.”

Watching her eat, the corners of Cassian’s mouth twitched upward into a look that was almost doting.

Trista caught the smile out of the corner of her eye and stopped chewing.

In both her lifetimes, Cassian had always been the cold–blooded executioner–unreadable and stoic.

She had lived two lives and this was the first time she’d seen him smile like that. It was eerie.

Halfway through the meal, the waiter brought out the delicate matcha truffle.

The sight of the bright green dessert killed Trista’s appetite instantly.

Cassian pushed the plate toward her. “I ordered this specifically for you. Try it.”

Trista lowered her lashes, setting her fork down. “I’m cutting back on sugar lately. No dessert for me.”

As long as she had her memories of the past, she would never be able to stomach another bite of matcha truffle.

Cassian’s expression froze. The light in his eyes vanished instantly.

In their previous life, the moment Trista found out he had personally baked a cake for Samantha, she had never touched matcha truffles again.

He still remembered her crying, her eyes red as she screamed that he was “disgusting.”

A sharp, stabbing pain flared in his chest. Cassian looked down quickly to hide the terror in his eyes.

“No. It’s not possible.”

He had tested her a dozen different ways. There was no way she had her memories.

Her refusing the dessert had to be a coincidence. Just a goddamn coincidence.

Cassian fought to stop the shaking in his chest, maintaining a forced calm as he moved the dessert to the edge of the table. “A new French bakery opened on the coast. I’ll take you there to try something else next

time.”

Before he could finish, Trista reached into her bag and slid a black card across the table toward him.

Cassian stared at the card, his gaze sharp enough to cut through her.

Trista took a deep breath, her face becoming deadly serious. “Alpha Cassian…”

“What did you call me?” Cassian’s voice dropped to a sub–zero temperature, vibrating with the aura of an Alpha before she could even finish her sentence.

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Trista rolled her eyes internally. She took another breath and corrected herself. “Cassian. This card was left by my mother. I haven’t touched a cent of it. The debt you paid for Silverlight? I’ve pulled the funds together. The principal and the interest are all on this card. Consider us even.”

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Sara Lili

Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.