Ambergris Locakboxes Traveled Salt Routes by Hugh Calder 76

Chapter Seventy–Six: He Belonged To Someone Else.

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A soft knock sounded at the door, and it opened gently. Garry was the first to step inside, his expression tense with concern. Aurora followed closely behind him, her eyes still red, sadness clinging to her like a shadow. Daisy came in last, quietly closing the door behind them with a muted click.

The two women hurried forward the moment they noticed Cassienne was awake.

Dreston rose slowly from his seat beside the bed and stepped aside, giving them space. As Aurora and Daisy reached Cassienne, emotions spilled over immediately–quiet sobs, shaky breaths, hands reaching out to hold hers. Their relief at seeing her consciousness mixed with the fear they had carried all night.

Dreston moved away from the bed and met Garry halfway across the room.

“Is she okay?” Garry asked in a low voice.

“Yes,” Dreston replied. “She’s stable. Just severe pain in her ribs.”

Garry exhaled. “That must hurt. But I’m relieved there’s no serious damage. She’ll recover.”

Dreston nodded, his gaze drifting back to the women gathered around Cassienne. Despite the circumstances, Cassienne was already trying to comfort them, offering faint smiles through the pain.

The sight stirred something deep and uncomfortable inside him.

Guilt crept in quietly, then all together.

When Cassienne was still his wife, he had kept her away from her friends—always insisting, always controlling her. Worse, he had rarely made himself available to her. He was always distant, cold, and emotionally absent.

Yet even in his coldness, he hadn’t allowed her freedom.

Now that he thought about it, the realization stung sharply. How lonely was she? How much pain she had endured in silence?

And at that instance, he finally understood the resentment–perhaps even hatred–Cassienne might feel toward him. He had made her life harder when he should have made it safer. And now, regret weighed heavily on his chest.

She had been gentle, compliant, and trusting. And he had taken advantage of that meekness, hurting her without ever meaning to.

He knew how deeply she had loved him. Even if he couldn’t return that love, he should have treated her with kindness and with respect.

Maybe then, things wouldn’t have ended this way.

“Dreston.”

Garry’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

“Yes?” He tilted his head and looked at his friend.

“Are you okay?” Garry asked carefully.

“Why do

you ask?”

“You zoned out,” Garry replied.

Chapter Seventy–Six He Belonged to Someone Else

Dreston let out a quiet breath. “Was it that obvious?”

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Garry studied him for a moment, then gestured toward the bed, where Cassienne was now laughing softly with her friends. “Yes. It was. And if you’re thinking about her… she’s okay. Look at her. She’s strong, especially when she’s with people who love her. Don’t torture yourself too much.”

Dreston nodded once in response.

But the bitterness in his expression didn’t fade.

Cassienne’s gaze drifted to the wall clock. And it’s 3:00 a.m..

The numbers glowed faintly in the dim room, reminding her how deep into the night it was. Slowly, her eyes fell to the figure beside her bed.

Dreston.

His head rested against the edge of the mattress, close enough that she could feel his warmth. One arm lay across her lower body, his hand curved protectively as if he was afraid she might fall, or disappear if he let go.

She didn’t know what to make of it. Why was he still here?

Everyone else had gone home hours ago. He should have done the same–returned to his house, his life, and his responsibilities. Yet here he was, asleep beside her hospital bed like he belonged there.

The thought lingered longer than it should have.

Why was Dreston doing this to her heart?

Why was he making it so hard for her to move on, so difficult to forget? Why was he standing in her life again, blurring lines she had worked so hard to draw?

Her vision blurred as tears welled up and slipped free. She quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand, refusing to let them fall.

But the slight movement was enough to make Dreston react on instinct.

His arm tightened, wrapping more firmly around her lower body, pulling her closer as if shielding her even in sleep. His breathing remained slow and even–he hadn’t woken up.

Cassienne let out a shaky, almost–silent laugh through her tears.

He looked… adorable.

She had never really seen him sleep like this before. Throughout their marriage, they had never shared a bed. Not once. There had always been distance–physical and emotional.

She remembered the one time he had taken her to his bedroom. She had been drunk that night, her memory foggy and incomplete. Even then, she couldn’t recall how he slept.

But now, seeing him like this–vulnerable, and unguarded, his head nearly resting against her thigh–it stirred something deep inside her.

Something she couldn’t get even though she wanted it.

The feelings crept back before she could stop them, familiar and unwanted. And she hated herself for it.

Chapter Seventy–Six He Belonged To Someone Elso

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“No, Cassienne,” she whispered to herself. “He belongs to someone else. Don’t get your hopes up. He doesn’t love you. He’s just being responsible. That’s all.”

She forced herself to believe it.

Shaking the emotions away, she shifted slightly–and immediately regretted it.

A sharp pain shot through her ribs.

“Ouch,” she hissed softly.

“Stop moving, Cassienne. You’ll hurt yourself.”

Dreston’s voice came out low and groggy.

He was still asleep. His grip remained firm around her.

She nearly laughed again, but the pain stopped her from doing so. The smile faded quickly, replaced by a dull ache far deeper than her injuries–one that settled in her chest.

No matter how hard she tried to bury the past, no matter how much she told herself she had moved on, she kept sinking back into it.

And now, it was deeper than she ever imagined.

“I love you, Dreston,” she murmured, her voice barely above a breath. “And I don’t know how to stop.”

Anyone nearby could have heard her. But she knew he was asleep.

Her free hand clenched tightly, fingers twisting together in silent turmoil. Then, before she could stop herself, hér hand reached out.

Her fingers slid into Dreston’s soft, silky curls. A faint smile curved her lips.

Dreston groaned in his sleep, and Cassienne froze instantly.

Her eyes widened, heart racing as she gently withdrew her hand and clasped it to her chest. She shut her eyes tightly, afraid to look, afraid he might wake and catch her in that fragile moment.

But he didn’t.

Soon, her breathing evened out. The pain, the thoughts, the emotions all softened as exhaustion finally claimed

her.

In no time at all, she drifted into sleep.

Both of them lay there, quietly, unknowingly sharing the same fragile peace.

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