Chapter 387
"Dad, your optimism is misplaced. If I don't stand my ground, once Grandma and Grandpa pass on, he'll show me the door. There can only be one leader of the Hernandez group – and that has to be me," Liam countered, his voice icy.
"That's enough. I, too, am hopeful that Liam will take the reins. Joseph's behavior has been erratic, particularly after marrying Cassie. He nearly harmed Celeste last time; my affection for him is waning day by day," Mabel interjected, shaking her head. Given another chance, she would certainly reconsider having Joseph.
---
Post-lunch, a gentle, invitingly warm breeze wafted in through the window, luring everyone into a state of lethargy. Cassie lay with her eyes shut, teetering on the edge of sleep, when she felt the soft brush of a kiss on her face.
Who could it be?
The familiar, subtle scent of crisp cedar was far from unpleasant.
Slowly, Cassie opened her sleep-laden eyes, taking in the strikingly handsome face before her. He was even more photogenic in person than on the television screen.
"Awake now, sleepyhead? You've been out for two hours," Joseph teased, affectionately pinching her nose in a manner typical of lovers smitten with each other.
Cassie felt a moment of disorientation, half expecting to find herself back in Madison. But even in Madison, he had seldom shown such tenderness and devotion.
"When did you get here?" she asked, sitting up abruptly. Perfect, she had a slew of questions for him.
"Not long ago, about an hour. Just in time to catch you snoring," Joseph glanced at his watch, jesting.
"You're making that up; I do not snore," Cassie protested, embarrassed at the mental image.
"How would you know if you were snoring if you were asleep?" Joseph hadn't seen her flustered like this in a long time and deliberately teased her.
"Fine, maybe snoring's not so bad. At least nobody will want to cuddle up next to me then," Cassie shot back, glaring at him.
"But you're my wife, who else am I supposed to sleep next to?" Joseph quipped, winking playfully.
"Enough, Joseph. We're divorced, remember? I have no idea where you got that fake divorce paper to trick people..."
"Who said it was fake? Take a look for yourself," Joseph said, producing two small red booklets, one of which she had handed to him the day they signed their divorce papers.
Cassie grabbed the booklets and, to her astonishment, they were identical to the original ones. "We... we got a divorce, didn't we?"
"To be precise, we only signed the papers but never got around to filing them," he clarified.
Joseph gave her a sideways glance. "We signed at the end of the year. The courthouse was closed for the holidays. I planned to do it after the New Year, but lo and behold, you show up in New York, and we run into each other again. Just over ten days and you’re already engaged to someone new."
Cassie felt a flush of guilt. Was she the one who had been unfaithful?
"You're one to talk, with a new girlfriend," she retorted, her tone sharp. "And after everything, you had the nerve to claim there was nothing between you? Please, I saw how cozy you were, holding hands and meeting her parents. I nearly called her 'sister-in-law.'"
"Jealous?" Joseph teased, playfully flicking her nose and delighting in her rare moment of mischief.
"Think again. Why would I be jealous?" Cassie turned away, her face set in a mask of denial. Jealous or not, she didn't feel entitled to that particular emotion.
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