Ambergris Locakboxes Traveled Salt Routes by Hugh Calder 50

Chapter Fifty: Pretend To Be Married To Dreston.

People often forget one simple truth about humans.

Humans are just humans.

They have no superpowers. They are not spirits. They are not made of steel or stone. They are made of flesh, emotions, memories, and pain. That is why humans have flaws. That is why they break, even when they pretend to be strong.

Cassienne understood this truth better than most people.

No matter how much she told herself that she should hate Dreston, she could not bring herself to do so. If she truly hated him, she would not be sitting beside him right now. She would not have called him in the first place. She would not have agreed to travel with him or stand beside him again like this.

Once upon a time, Dreston had called her his love.

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She had been very young then, barely seven years old. Even at that age, she knew that those two words were special. Her father used to call her mother my love. Cassienne remembered how her mother’s face would soften each time her father said it. She remembered the warmth in their voices, the intimacy, the meaning.

So even as a child, Cassienne understood that my love was not an ordinary phrase.

Now, just moments ago, she had heard Dreston use those same words for Tina.

The memory pierced her heart sharply.

Cassienne turned her face toward the window of the moving car, blinking slowly as she watched the world pass by outside. Despite living with Dreston for five long years, despite being his wife, he had never once called her my love.

Not even once.

That realization made her chest ache.

It made her feel small. Unimportant. Like she had never truly mattered.

And yet, she still could not hate him.

Because he was human.

And humans make mistakes. Humans fail. Humans hurt people, even the ones they care about.

But knowing this did not make the pain disappear.

Those two words—my love–still hurt deeply when she heard them directed at another woman. A woman who had walked into their lives quietly and shattered everything Cassienne had built.

A woman who had taken everything from her.

Her teenage love.

Her friendships.

Her dreams.

Tina had taken all of it.

Chapter Fifty Pretend to Be Married To Dreston

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If Cassienne had to give Tina a name, it would be a thief. That was exactly what she believed Tina was. Someone who had stolen what never truly belonged to her.

The sharp ringing of Cassienne’s phone pulled her out of her painful thoughts.

She sighed softly and reached into her bag, bringing out her phone. She answered the call immediately.

“Yes,” she said calmly, listening to the voice on the other end.

As she spoke, she glanced out of the window again and realized that they had already arrived at Happy Days Mental Hospital.

“Don’t worry, doctor,” Cassienne said gently. “We’re here already. Please tell her so.”

She ended the call and dropped the phone back into her bag.

“Was that the doctor?” Dreston asked quietly.

Cassienne nodded. “Yes. My mom won’t stop asking about us.”

The car came to a stop. Dreston did not wait for the bodyguards to open the doors. He turned toward Cassienne and spoke firmly.

“Come. Let’s go see her.”

Cassienne nodded and opened her door at the same time he opened his.

They stepped out together and walked side by side into the hospital building

The walk was quiet, and comfortable. When they entered the elevator, Cassienne finally spoke.

“Please,” she said softly, her voice carrying both fear and hope, “under no circumstances should my mother know that we’re divorced. I need you to pretend that everything is fine between us. Please… I hope you understand.”

Dreston looked at her for a moment. His expression was serious, but not cold.

“I’m not stupid, Cassienne,” he replied. “I know how these things work.”

Relief washed over her face, and she nodded.

When the elevator doors opened, they stepped out together and walked toward the private rooms.

Cassienne suddenly

wed her steps.

Her mother’s room had been changed.

She had not told Dreston about it.

Yet, without hesitation, Dreston stopped right in front of the correct door.

Cassienne stared at him, surprised.

Has he been here before? she wondered.

The thought unsettled her, and she was about to ask him when Dreston opened the door and walked inside, leaving her standing there.

She followed quickly.

Chapter Fifty Pretend to in Married To Dreston

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The moment she heard her mother’s voice, everything else disappeared.

“Dreston, my dear,” Emily said warmly, her voice filled with affection. “Why did it take you so long to come?”

Cassienne felt her throat tighten. Tears threatened to fall, but she forced herself to stay strong.

“I’m sorry, Emily,” Dreston replied gently. “Work delayed me. But I’m here now.”

Cassienne watched as Dreston leaned down and kissed her mother’s forehead. Then he pulled Emily carefully into a warm, gentle hug.

Cassienne’s heart swelled painfully.

Even though she knew it was an act, she was grateful.

“So,” Emily said, smiling, “won’t you come and hug your mother?”

The words snapped Cassienne out of her thoughts.

She stepped forward quickly, and Dreston moved aside to give them space. Cassienne wrapped her arms around her mother’s fragile body and held her carefully.

“I missed you, Mom,” she whispered. “You have no idea how much I missed you.”

Emily patted her back softly and then pulled away.

Cassienne remembered the doctor’s warning clearly.

Never cry in front of her. Never make her think you’re hiding something. Strong emotions can trigger her condition.

So Cassienne locked her emotions deep inside and left them outside the room.

She smiled.

Dreston took a seat near the window, crossing one leg over the other and folding his arms as he watched the two women talk.

It was strange.

If someone didn’t happy.

And Cassienne?

know Emily, they would never guess she was sick. She laughed freely, spoke clearly, and looked

She looked truly happy.

She laughed louder than Dreston had ever heard her laugh before.

The sight tightened something in his chest.

He knew how lonely her life had been. He knew how much pain she had carried. And deep down, he knew that he had played a role in that pain.

One thing became clear to him at that moment.

He never liked seeing Cassienne sad.

When Cassienne was happy, something inside him felt right.

Chapter Fifty Pretend To Be Married To Dreston

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Divorced or not, he still felt responsible for her.

“That reminds me,” Emily said suddenly, clapping her hands lightly. “If I pass my two–week test, the doctor said I can go home.”

Cassienne froze.

Shock rushed through her, followed by disbelief.

This was what she had prayed for. What she had begged God for every night.

So why did it suddenly feel frightening?

“That is wonderful news, Emily,” Dreston said warmly. “I will be very glad if that happens.”

Emily smiled brightly. “If that happens, I’ll spend one full month in your house,” she added cheerfully. “Then I’ll spend another month with Abigail.”

Cassienne’s heart slammed painfully against her chest.

If that happened, she would have to go back and pretend to be married to Dreston.

Her eyes

his.

At that brief moment, so many unspoken words passed between them.

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