Cassandra let out one final frustrated sigh before dragging her suitcase back to her car.
She glanced at the Clifford mansion one last time.
Cassandra (muttering): "Traitors... every single one of them."
She climbed into the driver's seat, slammed the door shut, and started the engine.
Within seconds, the car sped out of the driveway.
---
Rodriguez Mansion
Nearly thirty minutes later, Cassandra's car rolled through the grand iron gates of the Rodriguez estate.
The security guards immediately opened the gates after recognizing the new Mrs. Rodriguez.
She parked in front of the mansion, grabbed her suitcase, and walked toward the entrance with an irritated expression.
The moment she stepped inside, she found Santino sitting comfortably in the living room, one leg crossed over the other, reading a business magazine.
He didn't even look surprised.
Instead, he slowly lowered the magazine and smiled knowingly.
Santino: "You're back."
Cassandra dropped her suitcase with a loud thud.
Cassandra: "Don't say a word."
Santino stood up, unable to hide the amusement in his eyes.
Santino: "Your father sent you back, didn't he?"
She folded her arms and looked away.
Cassandra: "No."
Santino raised an eyebrow.
Santino: "Really?"
Cassandra: "I came back because... I wanted to."
Santino couldn't help but chuckle.
Santino: "Of course you did."
Cassandra shot him a glare.
Cassandra: "Keep laughing, and I'll leave again."
He smiled.
Santino: "And where would you go this time?"
She opened her mouth to answer...
...then realized she had nowhere else to go.
Santino laughed softly.
Santino: "Welcome home, Cassandra."
She rolled her eyes, picked up her suitcase again, and walked past him.
As she reached the staircase, she stopped without turning around.
Cassandra: "Which room is mine?"
Santino slipped his hands into his pockets.
Santino: "Ours is upstairs."
Cassandra turned around so quickly she nearly dropped her suitcase.
Cassandra: "Excuse me?"
Santino: "We're married."
She pointed a finger at him.
Cassandra: "Don't get any ideas. We're sharing a house, not a bed."
Santino smiled innocently.
Santino: "I didn't say anything about sharing a bed."
Cassandra narrowed her eyes.
Cassandra: "You were thinking it."
Santino shrugged with a grin.
"I might have been."
She huffed and dragged her suitcase upstairs, leaving Santino standing in the living room, quietly laughing to himself.
A Few Hours Later
The Rodriguez mansion had grown quiet.
The clocks had long passed midnight, and the only light left on upstairs came from the master bedroom.
Santino pushed the bedroom door open after finishing a few work calls.
The sight before him made him stop in his tracks.
Cassandra stood beside the bed wearing several layers of clothing.
A thick sweatshirt.
A cardigan.
A jacket.
Two pairs of sweatpants.
Even a wool scarf was wrapped around her neck.
She was struggling to pull on another pair of socks.
Santino blinked.
Santino: "...Are you planning to climb Mount Everest?"
Cassandra didn't even look at him.
Cassandra: "No."
He slowly walked into the room, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.
Santino: "Then why are you dressed like it's the middle of winter?"
She finally looked up at him.
Cassandra: "Protection."
He frowned.
Santino: "Protection from what?"
She answered with a perfectly serious face.
Cassandra: "You."
Santino stared at her for a few seconds...
...before bursting into laughter.
Santino: "Me?"
Cassandra: "Stop laughing."
He tried to compose himself, but another laugh escaped.
Santino: "You seriously think all these clothes are going to stop me from doing something?"
Cassandra folded her arms.
Cassandra: "Exactly."
He shook his head, still smiling.
Santino: "Cassandra, if I wanted to force you into anything, a few extra sweaters wouldn't make a difference."
His expression softened.
Santino: "But I would never do that."
The teasing smile faded into something more sincere.
Santino: "You don't have to protect yourself from me. If and when anything happens between us, it'll only be because we both want it."
Cassandra looked at him for a moment, surprised by his calm response.
After a brief silence, she cleared her throat.
Cassandra: "Well... I'm still keeping the layers."
Santino chuckled.
Santino: "Suit yourself."
He grabbed a pillow from the bed.
Cassandra: "What are you doing?"
Santino: "Making sure my wife can sleep peacefully."
He placed the pillow and a blanket on the sofa near the window.
Santino: "You take the bed. I'll sleep here tonight."
Cassandra blinked.
"You... will?"
Santino nodded.
Santino: "I gave you my word. You have nothing to worry about."
For the first time that night, Cassandra's guarded expression softened just a little as she watched him settle onto the sofa without another complaint.
The bedroom fell into a comfortable silence.
Cassandra sat on the edge of the bed, watching Santino spread the blanket over the sofa.
She frowned.
Cassandra: "That sofa doesn't even look comfortable."
Santino glanced at it before shrugging.
Santino: "I've slept in worse places."
She didn't reply.
Instead, she quietly pulled the blanket over herself and lay down, keeping a cautious eye on him.
Santino switched off the main lights, leaving only the bedside lamp glowing softly.
Santino: "Good night, Cassandra."
She hesitated for a moment.
Cassandra: "...Good night."
A few minutes passed.
Neither of them slept.
Cassandra turned onto her side.
Then onto her back.
Then onto her other side.
The silence was unbearable.
Finally—
Cassandra: "Are you asleep?"
Santino opened one eye.
Santino: "No."
She sighed.
"I can't sleep."
He sat up slightly.
"Why?"
She looked toward the ceiling.
"I'm not used to sleeping in a strange place."
Santino nodded knowingly.
"Understandable."
Another moment of silence followed.
Then Cassandra spoke again.
Cassandra: "You can have the bed."
Santino smiled faintly.
"I thought you said we weren't sharing."
"We're not," she replied quickly. "I mean... you take the bed, and I'll sleep on the sofa."
He shook his head.
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because you're my wife."
She rolled her eyes.
"And?"
"And I won't let my wife sleep on a sofa on her first night here."
Cassandra clicked her tongue.
"You're surprisingly stubborn."
Santino let out a quiet laugh.
"I was about to say the same thing about you."
For the first time that night, Cassandra smiled—just for a second.
She quickly hid it.
Santino noticed anyway but pretended he hadn't.
He lay back down on the sofa and folded his hands behind his head.
"Go to sleep, Cassandra."
She pulled the blanket up to her chin.
"Fine."
Within minutes, the room became quiet again.
Outside, a gentle breeze stirred the curtains.
Inside, two stubborn newlyweds lay awake in the same room, each pretending to be asleep while secretly wondering what married life would bring next.